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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24648847">unstoppable force; immovable object</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormbornkhalx/pseuds/stormbornkhalx'>stormbornkhalx</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, all about that angst, it's probably going to be a rough ride so buckle up, post Season 1 finale, the camarilla are Awful, will likely become more raylla-centric in later chapters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:01:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>49,442</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24648847</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormbornkhalx/pseuds/stormbornkhalx</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The mission in China resulted in disaster, two young soldiers' lives lost. Or were they? </p><p>Raelle and Abigail must find their way home. General Alder must find common ground with Willa and the Spree, to ensure the survival of all witches now that the Camarilla have resurfaced. Will the alliance between the U.S. military and the Spree hold, or will the tensions simply run too high and fracture the two entities again? Will the Camarilla, with their newfound technology, have the upper hand in this war?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>472</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello, folks!</p><p>It's been a hot minute since I wrote for any fandoms, but MFS has certainly inspired me. I am going to attempt to update this story at a fairly regular, predictable pace. I'll be writing at least one to two chapters ahead of what is posted, to ensure that I have something to give you! </p><p>I will be employing some of my own theories and headcanons through the story, for various things that have yet to be explained by the show. We'll see this story told through several perspectives, at least to start, and each changeover will clearly be marked. I'm expecting this to become more Raylla-centric as we go along, though.</p><p>I hope you enjoy! I'm not exactly sure where this story is going to take us, but we'll find out together.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sergeant Quartermaine waited at attention a handful of yards from the helo pad. Word had come back to Fort Salem that General Alder’s company was en route, carrying injuries and refugees. Behind Anacostia were a few soldiers, along with a fixer, ready to help. The incoming message about the company was clipped, offered little information beyond the fact that they were almost back. They had no idea what to expect.</p>
<p>A stone settled itself in Quartermaine’s gut when she saw only one bat in the sky. They had sent two bats out; they needed the space of two bats to bring everyone and the Tarim home. Whatever happened in the field… it wasn’t good. They had known when Fort Salem’s greenery withered, that something was terribly wrong.</p>
<p>The engine hadn’t even stopped before Quartermaine was walking briskly forward. Those on the bat were starting to disembark by the time that she got there. The very first thing she noticed was Craven, aged far and away beyond her years, being helped down by General Alder.</p>
<p>“Craven, what the <em>hell</em>?” Quartermaine demanded, losing all sense of decorum even in front of the general. She grabbed Craven’s arms, steadying the woman.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know what else to do,” Craven answered vacantly, obviously still in shock.</p>
<p>Anacostia felt fury building inside her as she swung her fiery gaze at Alder. “What happened?” she questioned.</p>
<p>Despite the lack of required propriety, Sarah offered an answer, “Izadora was right. The Camarilla have returned. The Spree were trying to warn us with the soccer stadium.”</p>
<p>Quartermaine’s attention returned to the bat, watching the Biddies and what few soldiers were left disembark. There were two glaring holes though: a shock of bright, blonde hair and a firm voice belting orders at her unit. Eyes widening, she met Craven’s glazed look again. “Where are Bellweather and Collar?”</p>
<p>Craven shook her head, mouth open, but no words coming out immediately. “They were… the boy was afraid and ran,” she finally managed to stutter out. “Raelle went after him, Abigail went after her… they got him to come back, but then… Raelle turned around. She never saw- I tried to warn her. I tried. The blade… it went <em>right</em> through her heart, Anacostia. And Abigail ran back to link with her, to save her. They were both on the ground and we- and we… we just <em>left</em> them. And there was an explosion.”</p>
<p>General Alder came over, placing both hands on Tally’s shoulders to usher her away. “Craven will be coming with us. I need two candidates, Sergeant Quartermaine. We may yet reverse Craven’s sacrifice, to preserve her matriline.”</p>
<p>Anacostia could only watch as Craven was taken away, enveloped by Alder and the Biddies. She never could have imagined that a mission would go so wrong. The Bellweather unit was… no more. She lost two of her soldiers, fresh out of basic, and the third was currently one of Alder’s Biddies. The unit was out of her sight for only a couple of days and everything went to shit.</p>
<p>- - - - - - - -</p>
<p>
  <em>Life becomes death, which becomes life again.</em>
</p>
<p>The first thing Raelle became aware of was a steady, unwavering heartbeat. Her own, and the one she could feel through the hand in hers.</p>
<p>
  <em>Death is more complicated than people think. It’s not so cut and dry.</em>
</p>
<p>Slowly, blue eyes cracked open, squinting in the harsh sunlight. Raelle glanced to her left and saw Abigail laying next to her, their hands still clasped tightly together. She could feel Bellweather’s heartbeat, just as steady as her own. They were alive. By the goddess, they were alive.</p>
<p>“Abs,” Raelle spoke, her voice thick and dry. When there was no answer, she tightened her grip on the other woman’s hand and gave it a shake. “Abigail, hey, wake up.”</p>
<p>Bellweather groaned unhappily, eyes closing tighter for a moment before she opened them. “Rae?” she asked, gaze searching before settling on the blonde. “What happened to us?”</p>
<p>“I have… no idea,” Raelle admitted, before using her bloodied hand to push herself up into a sitting position. She was no longer bleeding, and only the ghost of pain remained where her heart was. As she looked around, she saw that she and Abigail were in a shallow crater, surrounded by white light. Beyond that white light, strange, black debris wafted up from the ground. Further out from that, she could see where grass had been replaced by an array of quickly growing mushrooms, and the tree line was bent from the force of… whatever had happened. There were even clumps and lines of mushrooms that oddly took the shape of bodies that were sprawled out – and the bodies of the Camarilla agents she knew should be there were nowhere to be seen.</p>
<p>Abigail slowly sat up as well, taking in their surroundings. “We’re alive,” she observed, disbelieving and relieved all at once. “Shit, <em>you’re</em> alive,” she added, looking over at Raelle. “What did you do, Rae?”</p>
<p>Raelle shook her head, eyes wide as she met Abigail’s gaze. “I really don’t know.” She glanced down at their joined hands, feeling their connection – stronger now that they were awake. “Don’t let go. Not yet.” She had the strangest feeling that whatever was happening would fall apart if they let go of one another, and whatever work was going on here, needed them to maintain that connection until it was done.</p>
<p>Abigail only nodded her agreement. “Did- did we…?” her voice trailed off, unable to finish her question.</p>
<p>Raelle knew what it was, though. “Yeah. I think we did,” she answered. There was a moment there, where everything had stopped. Her heart, Abigail’s heart, their breathing… the world. It had all stopped. And in that moment, Raelle heard Scylla’s voice: <em>Life becomes death, which becomes life again</em>.</p>
<p>“How long have we been here?” Abigail asked, trying to figure out their situation and how they could get out of it.</p>
<p>Raelle glanced skyward, locating the angle of the sun. “Last I remember, the sun was in the west. It’s in the east now. We’ve been here at least one night.” Given how parched she was, it certainly made sense.</p>
<p>“Come on, get up,” Bellweather bid, shifting slowly so that she could get to her feet and tugging Raelle up with her.</p>
<p>“Get up and do what?” Raelle asked as she was pulled upward and had no choice but to stand. “The bat, Alder, and Tally are long gone.”</p>
<p>“Remember, Adil said that he took Khalida to a U.S. military base for help. If he could make it that far on foot from here, we can too,” Abigail reasoned. “With the Camarilla in the area, Alder would keep the base fortified, keep our troops there. We can make it. We just have to head southwest.”</p>
<p>“Wandering off into the desert right after we just died. Great. This sounds like a great plan, Bells,” Raelle sighed. </p>
<p>“What other choice do we have? The other bat got blown up, we have no way to communicate with the military. They think we’re dead.”</p>
<p>Raelle was quiet for a moment, then nodded. Bellweather was right, like she usually was. It was an annoying trait. “We need to find water before we hit the sand, we won’t make it like this.”</p>
<p>“Agreed. We should get going.”</p>
<p>Hand in hand, the two soldiers started off. The white light remained steadily beneath their feet and around them as they moved. The black debris beyond that light also followed them, fanning out and wiping away the greenery to be replaced with mushrooms.</p>
<p>It only took a few minutes for them to notice the strange path they were leaving in their wake. “What is that?” Abigail asked, not really expecting an answer.</p>
<p>“Scylla-“ Raelle’s voice hitched and she abruptly cut herself off after saying the necro’s name. There were still a lot of feelings there, a lot of unresolved stuff that she wasn’t ready to unpack in the moment. She had enough to deal with right now, she didn’t need to pile it on. “She told me that mushrooms occupy the underworld.”</p>
<p>“But we’re not in the underworld.” Abigail seemed to be right, the world was just the same as they had briefly left it. Save for the light and the debris around them now.</p>
<p>“I think… I think whatever is happening, it’s drawing the life force around us, to us,” Raelle said after a long moment. With every step they took, the light around them got a little brighter, and Raelle felt a little better. From their link, she could tell Abigail was feeling better too.</p>
<p>- - - - - - - -</p>
<p>“Willa Collar,” it was a statement, not a question that left Scylla’s mouth. Coming face to face with Raelle’s mother, in the kitchen of a Spree safe house was the absolute last thing she could have ever expected to happen.</p>
<p>Willa nodded, “And you failed in your mission.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, well, shit happens,” the words left Scylla like venom.</p>
<p>“Where is my daughter now?” Willa questioned.</p>
<p>A loud, joyless laugh left Scylla. “How am I supposed to know? I’ve been in a dungeon for I don’t even know how long! I was a little busy being tortured!”</p>
<p>“Watch your tone,” the older witch warned.</p>
<p>“No. No, I don’t think that I will,” Scylla fumed. “You were the one that sent me in after Raelle? Why didn’t you tell me that you’re her mom? If I could have told her that you’re alive, she would have come willingly!” It was starting to don on her, just how badly she had hurt Raelle – and it was for nothing. She’d crushed the woman she loved, and it was for absolutely nothing. The anger that the Spree had helped her funnel was building again, and there was no outlet for it.</p>
<p>“It was too dangerous,” Willa explained. “Keeping the truth from both of you was safer than the alternative. If anyone else had found out…”</p>
<p>“So, what? You faked your own death to get out of the military, abandoned your daughter, then decided you want her back, so you sent me in to get her?” Scylla assumed. “Do you know how much losing you hurt her? A year later and she was still broken over it! When I first met her, her plan was to get deployed early and get herself killed on the front line, just so she wouldn’t have to serve anymore!”</p>
<p>Silence hung in the air between them, the only sound for long moments the sizzling of mushrooms behind Willa. “You certainly managed to change her mind, didn’t you? You were supposed to bring her to me, not ensnare her yourself.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I know. I failed my mission, now my future is going to be bleak, right?” Scylla rolled her eyes. </p>
<p>Willa turned back toward the stove, to stir the mushrooms around and keep them from burning. “We have moved beyond that now. Things are progressing faster than I anticipated, more drastically than we can handle on our own. I’ve sent word to General Alder – we need to meet and discuss the future.”</p>
<p>Twice since walking into the safe house, Scylla was blindsided. “Wait, what? What’s going on?”</p>
<p>“The burning times have never ended, they just got quieter about it. The fight we knew was coming is here,” Willa informed the younger witch. She was incredibly calm, given the circumstances. “The Camarilla have returned in force. If witches are going to survive this fight… we need Alder, and she needs us.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Alder considers an alliance with the Spree, Anacostia reunites with someone she never expected to see in Fort Salem again, and everyone mourns the loss of Abigail and Raelle.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The silence inside General Alder’s office was deafening, as she kept her back to those gathered and maintained her gaze out the window. Her Biddies were occupying themselves by the fireplace, going over maps and files on the Camarilla. There were two new faces among them, candidates hand chosen to become Biddies. Thankfully, Craven had successfully been released from the Biddy work after the candidates had been brought to Alder.</p><p>Alder could still hear the screams of the witches burned by the Camarilla. She had hoped to never hear such anguish again; to never have the acrid smell of burning flesh assault her nose again. Yet, the burning times were upon them. Again. In such a civilized, modern time, seething hatred had festered and bubbled over, manifesting itself physically among civilians.</p><p>Behind her, standing at attention, were those of rank within the army that she trusted most. Despite the attempted coup, even Petra Bellweather was in attendance. They needed the full might of the military, and they all needed to trust each other, to weather the coming storm. Even though Petra had set in motion actions that forced her hand, Sarah wanted, needed her support. It had been eye-opening and made her realize that the soldiers that served beneath her no longer trusted her.</p><p>“On my desk is a message from the Spree,” Alder finally announced, keeping her gaze trained out on the grounds of Fort Salem. She heard whispers and murmurs behind her back, but it didn’t prompt her to turn around yet.</p><p>“Why didn’t you just burn it?” Of course, it was Petra that spoke up first. There was an edge to her voice, trying to mask the intense pain she felt. “Need I remind you what the Spree did to my family?”</p><p>“What happened at the wedding was not the work of the Spree,” Alder answered calmly. “Our ancient enemy has returned. The Camarilla attacked us as we rescued the Tarim. The Camarilla took your daughter, General Bellweather, they took Charvel, and they took those members of your family that we didn’t know about. Now, they are coming for all of us with their blades and their fire, and they are able to use a bastard version of our work against us.”</p><p>“That’s why they’re cutting out witches’ vocal cords,” Izadora spoke this time.</p><p>Finally, Sarah turned around to face the others. “Indeed,” she confirmed. “Along with the seed to negate our songs, they have created vocal boxes that allow them to do some bastardized weather work. We saw that firsthand during the rescue mission.”</p><p>“With all due respect, General,” Sergeant Quartermaine began, “what does this have to do with the Spree?”</p><p>Alder drew in a measured breath. “The threat that the Camarilla pose is to all witches.” It was clear that everyone knew where this was going. “The Spree have proposed a ceasefire – an alliance. The intel that the Spree offered suggests the Camarilla numbers have not only blossomed, but exploded. There are sects all around the world, hunting and killing witches.”</p><p>“Join with the Spree?” Clary now chimed in. “They killed our soldiers in Kiev, my daughter among them.”</p><p>“I understand your hesitation,” Alder said, meeting everyone’s eyes in turn. “In our fight against the Spree, there have been casualties on both sides. Our ideologies do not align, but this has grown beyond our differences, beyond our losses. If we do not act decisively and use all of the resources available to us… our way of life, our kind may very well cease to exist. If we don’t parley with the Spree, everyone’s daughters may die.”</p><p>“General, why are you telling us all of this?” Clary spoke again. “President Wade gave you unprecedented authority and power to deal with any and all threats.” Sarah didn't owe them an explanation for anything she did now, ever since Wade’s address.</p><p>“If we are to survive this war, if we are to win it, we must all trust each other,” Sarah met Petra's eyes meaningfully as she spoke. “The Camarilla are our oldest enemies; they are nothing like what any of you have faced before. This technology they have made for themselves only serves to make them stronger. Trust in ourselves and trust in each other – especially once the Spree are brought into the fold – is the only thing that will see us through.”</p><p>Everyone took a moment to digest their current dilemma, and the only way that they could hope to win. Finally, General Bellweather broke their silence, “When do they want to meet?”</p><p>“This afternoon,” was the first answer Sarah was reluctant to give.</p><p>“But the memorial,” Petra immediately protested.</p><p>“I know,” Sarah nodded.</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>“Finally,” Raelle gasped as the stream they had heard came into sight. They’d been walking for so long without any signs of water. Her steps hurried until they came upon the bank, and Raelle felt the shock reverberate all the way up through her body as her knees hit the ground with force.</p><p>Raelle dipped her free hand – still covered in her own dried, crusted blood – into the water, then rubbed it vigorously on her BDU pants. It didn’t get her perfectly clean, but it was good enough in the moment. She dipped her hand back into the water, cupping as much liquid as she could manage to bring to her mouth. </p><p>Next to her, Abigail drank just as greedily. All of their gear had been in the bat, so there was no way to carry water on them. This was the best that they could do.</p><p>Once Raelle had her fill, she dropped back to sit on the ground more comfortably. Taking in their surroundings, she saw that there weren’t as many mushrooms being left behind in their path. Her attention shifted to hers and Abigail’s still joined hands. The light beneath them was nearly blinding by that point.</p><p>“I think we can let go, now,” she said after a moment. </p><p>“Are you sure?” Abigail questioned, also glancing down at their hands. “I don’t whatever work this is to break and then have to save your ass again.”</p><p>Raelle sighed and rolled her eyes, then looked up at Abigail. “Do you trust me, Bellweather?” she asked.</p><p>“With my life.” Abigail spoke with such sincerity, it surprised Raelle. </p><p>“Okay,” Raelle said slowly and nodded. She looked back down at their hands and after a moment, she loosened her grip on Abigail’s hand. The process of letting completely go of Abigail’s hand took much longer than it needed to, but Raelle had to be sure that breaking their connection wasn’t going to kill them… again.</p><p>When, finally, she fully let go of Abigail’s hand, the light around them brightened for a moment, making both of them squint against it. It suddenly scattered out in all directions, pushing the strange black debris out and away, scattering it to the wind. As the metaphorical dust settled, Raelle looked around. As far as she could tell, they were still fine. The light and floating debris – whatever it was – were now gone, leaving only them and the wide trail of mushrooms behind.</p><p>“I’ve never seen mushrooms like that,” Abigail commented, now that they could see their surroundings without the haze of debris and light in their way.</p><p>“Don’t touch them,” Raelle warned. Even though those numerous fungi likely contributed to them still being alive, Raelle didn’t think they were exactly safe. In fact, she was sure that they weren’t. The fungi were the product of a powerful kind of work that they didn’t understand, hell, they didn’t even know what it was. A byproduct of something like that… it needed to be treated with the utmost caution.</p><p>“We should rest here for a while,” Abigail decided. “We’ll be in better shape if we make at least part of our trek through the desert at night.”</p><p>Raelle nodded and looked out in the direction Abigail was. On the horizon, she could see the shift in terrain. They had left most of the forest behind them, and there wasn’t much of the grassy, rocky plain left between them and the desert. This sure wasn’t the Cession.</p><p>“How far out do you think we are?” Raelle asked.</p><p>Abigail contemplated for a moment. “The base is located far enough out so as not to spark another war,” she pointed out. “We’re going to be walking for at least another two days.”</p><p>“This is going to suck.” Raelle let herself collapse back onto the ground, staring up at the sky.</p><p>“Don’t worry, shitbird, I got you,” Abigail laughed before shifting to lay down as well. “We’ll make it.”</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>It never got any easier to bury soldiers; worse, when there were no bodies to bury. General Alder felt the loss of every single witch in her bones, the hundreds – thousands – that they laid to rest after their lives were lost serving the country. The world dimmed a little bit, every time it lost another witch.</p><p>The class that had graduated just days ago now gathered again, to mourn yet another loss. Two losses, this time. The Tarim joined them as well, to express their gratitude and share in the sorrow of those lost to save them. Petra Bellweather and some of the other Bellweather family sat in the front row on one side of the aisle. On the other side, Tally, Adil, and Khalida took the front row.</p><p>After everyone had found themselves a seat, Sarah, herself, stepped up to the podium. To her right, pictures of Raelle Collar and Abigail Bellweather stared out at those gathered. All they had were the pictures, the women’s scourges lost to the battlefield just like their bodies. In the silence before she spoke, two generals stepped forward, each with a folded American flag. One stepped up to Petra, while the other approached Tally – so she could send it to Edwin after the funeral. Each flag was handed off at the same time, with the words “she died with honor,” offered to the recipients.</p><p>As the generals stepped back to resume their places at attention, Alder drew in a breath. “First, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the Bellweather and Collar families,” she said. “A blessing upon them, and a blessing upon us all.” She ducked her head to give the fallen an appropriate moment of silence.</p><p>“Abigail Bellweather and Raelle Collar were called to accompany me, personally, on a critical humanitarian mission. During that mission we were ambushed – not by the Spree, but by the Camarilla.” Sarah paused, letting whispers wash over the crowd, before holding up a hand to silence them. Her eulogy for the lost soldiers was more than just paying her respects. “It is true, the rumors you may have heard. The Camarilla have returned, and they are a threat that we will face head on.</p><p>“Abigail and Raelle made the ultimate sacrifice while saving the life of a scared child. When he ran from our helicopter for fear of it, Raelle didn’t so much as hesitate in going after him, and Abigail immediately went to provide them with cover. While returning the boy to our aircraft, Raelle was stabbed by an agent of the Camarilla. With no regard for her own safety, Abigail ran back to try and save her. Unfortunately, both of them fell. The rest of the company only barely made it out alive.</p><p>“To honor our fallen soldiers, I am posthumously promoting them each one rank. Corporal Bellweather and Corporal Collar will be deeply missed by those held dear in their lives. Their bravery, their selflessness, is something that we must all strive toward and measure our own actions against.”</p><p>There was another moment of silence, before Sarah shifted the track of her speech again. “Though we mourn the loss of two witches, we must also look toward the future. With the reemergence of the Camarilla, we cannot let our collective guard down. We must all be vigilant; we must all be ready. There is a war coming, one unlike anything we have fought before. As such, assignments to War College have been postponed indefinitely, starting with this year’s graduating class. We will need each and every one of you in this fight. After this war against the Camarilla is won, War College assignments will resume, and you will be allowed to enter – each assignment based on skills and successes shown as we fight the Camarilla.</p><p>“May the goddess bless us all.”</p><p>Sarah turned and left the podium. Rather than taking the spot at the head of the line of Biddies, General Alder left the funeral proceedings altogether. There were others that would step up and speak about Collar and Bellweather, but she had more pressing issues to deal with. The Biddies filed along behind her as she returned to her office.</p><p>It wasn’t a long wait before the door to her office opened again and Anacostia appeared first, followed by two members of the Spree. Immediately the Biddies began to hiss in unison, and General Alder’s jaw tightened uncomfortably. She recognized both women that entered: one had escaped custody from Fort Salem recently, and the other was… a surprise.</p><p>“Willa Collar,” Alder pushed the name past her pursed lips.</p><p>“Hello, Sarah,” Willa replied with a smirk, then looked around the room. “Where is Raelle? I specifically requested that she be here.”</p><p>“Sergeant Quartermaine, you and Ramshorn may wait in the hall,” Sarah ordered, not breaking eye contact with Willa. She’d deal with the young Spree that had escaped later. “Don’t lose her this time.”</p><p>Silence hung in the air until the door closed behind Scylla. “Where is my daughter?” Willa repeated.</p><p>“Raelle Collar… is dead.”</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>Out in the hall, Anacostia stood across from Scylla. “I see you made it back in just fine,” she observed.</p><p>“And you’re still right where you want to be,” Scylla replied with her signature taunting smile.</p><p>“You didn’t tell me that Willa Collar was the one calling your shots.” Anacostia couldn’t believe it when the woman – supposedly dead – had stepped out of the vehicle not ten minutes ago. </p><p>“It’s not exactly like I knew.” Scylla looked back at the door, wishing she could hear the ensuing conversation inside. “I did know that there was no way Alder would have Raelle there for this meeting. I’m sure that she’s out there at that memorial we passed, paying her respects to another life lost to the war machine that this military is.”</p><p>Anacostia shifted her weight uneasily. As much as she hadn’t liked Scylla before, they’d found common ground while Scylla was being held underground. She knew how much Scylla loved Raelle, she felt it when they linked. She also knew how much Raelle still loved Scylla, it was apparent in her grief spiral when she thought Scylla was dead and again after finding out the necro was alive – and Spree.</p><p>“Scylla…”</p><p>The way that Anacostia spoke with hesitance had Scylla’s brow furrowing, and her head cocking to the side ever so slightly. “What is it? Raelle’s okay, right? She just graduated a couple days ago; she has to be okay.”</p><p>“Scylla,” Anacostia steeled herself, hardly ready to admit to truth to herself, “Raelle is dead.”</p><p>Scylla’s eyes widened and her jaw fell open. The slight shake of her head was barely perceptible. Her real, tangible reaction manifested as the frames on the wall began to patter against the wood behind them; pieces of furniture rocked and wobbled, scraping against the wood floor beneath. Scylla wasn’t shaking, but the world around her was.</p><p>Quick steps took Quartermaine across the hall and she grabbed Scylla by the shoulders. “<em>Calm down</em>,” she warned. “If you step out of line, Alder will break whatever alliance she’s about to make in there and send you straight to prison. And you and I still have work to do.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you enjoyed chapter two! Number three is in the works and... it's probably gonna hurt. At least a little.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Raelle hates sand, Scylla must face the awful truth, and negotiations commence.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I need to add a note on here for those that have been following along with each update: after re-watching the first episode, I realize that our favorite unit entered the military at a rank of Private First Class. (Silly me thinking their ranking system would be similar to that of the real military.) Thus, I have gone back and edited chapter two, to reflect the appropriate rank promotion to Corporal for Raelle and Abigail.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raelle would be happy if she never saw sand again. Ever. They’d been marching through the night, and now the sun was high above, blazing down on their hooded heads. Abigail had been right about starting their trek in the night. It had been cold, but witches handled extreme temperatures differently than civilians. Raelle preferred handling the cold, rather than this kind of heat.</p>
<p>The desert at night had been… breathtaking. She thought that she knew what the night sky looked like, living in the Cession. But out here, no manmade sources of light for hundreds of miles, and a vast, open void out ahead of them… Raelle had never known so many stars could be visible at once. She and Abigail had stopped just to look upward – Miss High Atlantic was just as much in awe as she was.</p>
<p>Then, the sun had begun to rise and chased away that beauty with its bright heat. </p>
<p>The pair had been trudging along quietly for an hour or two when Abigail finally spoke again, “So, Scylla…” She broached the subject, leaving it open for Raelle to take the conversation in whatever direction she wished.</p>
<p>But Raelle didn’t want to take the conversation anywhere. “I don’t want to talk about her,” she shook her head.</p>
<p>“What would you rather do to pass the time?” Abigail asked. “Play the world’s fastest game of ‘I Spy?’”</p>
<p>“I spy something tan,” Raelle answered dryly.</p>
<p>“Hmm… sand,” Bellweather told her confidently. Then she looked to her left, “More sand.” Abigail looked to her right, “And more sand.”</p>
<p>Raelle rolled her eyes, but laughed. “And here I thought you’d never get it.”</p>
<p>“Come on, Collar,” Abigail leaned over and nudged Raelle with her shoulder. “You know when we linked, I saw a lot of what was going on in your head. Literally ninety-nine percent of it was Scylla, the other one percent was the rest of us.”</p>
<p>“Was not,” Raelle grumbled. </p>
<p>“Actually, it was.” Abigail’s ‘always right’ trait was even more annoying now. “I think it’s safe to say that the Spree weren’t involved with what happened to Charvel. It was the Camarilla and they wanted us to think it was the Spree. I guess I’m a little less angry at her over that, but I’m still pissed that she hurt you. And the fact that she was Spree in the first place.”</p>
<p>Raelle huffed out a breath. She was angry, too. At herself, at Scylla, at the military – almost everything. But overall, mostly herself. She could still hear Scylla’s anguished scream as she walked out of the Spree’s holding cell, after she told Scylla that she didn’t love her anymore… regretted ever meeting her. It wasn’t true. Anacostia was right when she said they both still loved one another. </p>
<p>“Rae,” Abigail’s voice pulled the blonde out of her spiraling thoughts.</p>
<p>Raelle sniffed, lifting her hand and swiping her finger beneath her nose. “I think I messed up,” she admitted. She’d been doing that a lot lately. First, telling Petra about Scylla – which was what likely led to them being deployed to China with Alder. Khalida might have requested it, but surely Alder wouldn’t have agreed unless wanted to rid herself of the Bellweather unit that had caused her so much trouble. Then, she’d said those horrible things to Scylla, born of her own pain as she lashed out at the person that hurt her. That she loved.</p>
<p>“Well, do you want to know what I think?” Abigail asked after a long moment.</p>
<p>“You’re going to tell me either way,” Raelle shrugged. She knew Bellweather well enough by now to know that the offer extended was only a courtesy. </p>
<p>“By no means am I giving Scylla a free pass. If I ever saw her again, I’d probably punch her in the face for you,” Abigail admitted. “But… she chose you, Raelle, over the Spree. When her loyalty was tested, she showed her true colors, and she gave up her mission in favor of dancing with you.” Dancing with Scylla at Charvel’s wedding, hearing her say ‘I love you’ had been one of the most prominent memories passed between them.</p>
<p>“Yeah, well… neither one of us is going to see her again,” Raelle pointed out. “I’m sure she already got shipped off to the military prison.” She looked down, watching the sand sink around her feet and then scatter forward with every step she took. She’d take the mud from Basic over all this sand any day. “She’s gone and the last things I said to her were… terrible.”</p>
<p>“We do terrible things to and for the people we love,” Abigail nodded sagely.</p>
<p>“That’s bullshit,” Raelle sighed, but couldn’t offer up more of an argument than that. Even if it was bullshit, she and Scylla were prime examples of it happening. Scylla hurt her, so she turned around and swiped blindly at the woman, wanting to inflict that same pain. “Why love someone if you’re only going to hurt them?”</p>
<p>“Because they’re worth fighting through the pain for, and you learn how not to hurt them.” Abigail, whom Raelle had almost exclusively seen chew through men like they were candy, spoke as though she understood the subject they were talking about herself.</p>
<p>And then Raelle realized, Abigail did understand it. “You and Adil,” she stated, looking over at Bellweather. “You like him. A lot.”</p>
<p>“I-“ Abigail’s attempted argument didn’t get very far before it was lost in a huff. </p>
<p>Raelle smiled knowingly. “Abigail Bellweather, Eater of Men, actually falling in love? Now that is something I never thought I would see.”</p>
<p>“Shut up, shitbird,” Abigail laughed.</p>
<p>“You two are cute together,” Raelle placated. Were it not so hot, she would have thrown her arm around Abigail’s shoulders.</p>
<p>“You know, he called me arrogant?” Abigail asked.</p>
<p>“What? You? No,” Raelle drawled out sarcastically. “Not Abigail Bellweather of the High Atlantic Bellweathers.”</p>
<p>- - - - - - - -</p>
<p>Scylla returned to Fort Salem with Willa the day after their first meeting with Alder. With only a tentative agreement to talk about an alliance at this point, Willa wasn’t inclined to reveal the faces and identities of any other Spree agents. It was a smart move, Scylla agreed, and for once she didn’t mind being dragged along. She wasn’t going to sit in on what was likely to be an exhausting negotiation, however.</p>
<p>No, she had other plans in mind.</p>
<p>As with yesterday, it was Sergeant Quartermaine that met them at the entrance of Fort Salem. She didn’t offer them a verbal greeting, not even a nod. Instead, as soon as they were out of the vehicle, Quartermaine turned on her heel and marched them inside.</p>
<p>Scylla followed along behind Willa as they walked the halls. It didn’t look like they were going to Alder’s office this time. Maybe a conference room. Not that she really cared, the only reason she had come along was to get on base at least one more time.</p>
<p>When they finally came to the room and Quartermaine opened the door, Scylla could see that every general currently on the base was inside. “Yeah, I’m going to sit this one out,” she told Willa. No way was she going to sit there and listen to Willa bicker and make demands from a position where demands couldn’t necessarily be made.</p>
<p>“Suit yourself,” Willa replied, unintimidated. After she stepped into the room, Quartermaine closed the door behind her.</p>
<p>Only half a second of silence passed before Scylla blurted out the question she’d been burning to ask. “Where is… can I see her?”</p>
<p>Anacostia pursed her lips – it didn’t need to be said who the ‘her’ was that Scylla was referencing. She nodded, “Follow me.”</p>
<p>This time, as Scylla followed Quartermaine, it felt like she was going to be sick. She regretted eating breakfast, because her stomach roiled and rolled, threatening to bring up its contents unceremoniously. The red rim around her eyes had gone down some, since the early morning hours. She’d spent much of the night crying for the loss of Raelle Collar. She still didn’t want to believe it. Surely she would have felt it; the connection they had through her little message on Raelle’s hand, she should have felt it sever.</p>
<p>But maybe not if Raelle was on the other side of the world when it happened.</p>
<p>The trek to the cemetery was shorter than Scylla would have liked. She needed more time to prepare herself. A lifetime wouldn’t have been enough, not even close. It was some cruel, cosmic joke that the universe decided to play on her, to make her live in a world without Raelle. She could have handled it, never seeing Raelle again, having Raelle hate her, so long as Raelle was alive.</p>
<p>As they passed row after row of pristine, white marble headstones, Scylla’s steps began to slow. Her feet stopped altogether, several feet back from Anacostia when the sergeant finally stopped and faced a grave marker. She wasn’t ready.</p>
<p>“The bodies couldn’t be brought home,” Quartermaine spoke, voice betraying her own emotion at the loss.</p>
<p>Scylla felt the admission like a punch to the gut. Raelle’s body was still out there, somewhere? Left to rot by herself? How could the world be so cruel? It robbed them of such a beautiful soul, then left her body halfway across the world so that the rest of them couldn’t properly mourn the loss? So they couldn’t lay her to rest?</p>
<p>Tentative steps took her forward until she was standing next to Anacostia. As she turned to face the grave marker, she couldn’t lift her gaze from her feet. She knew that when she looked up, she would be faced with the truth – a truth that was going to be soul shattering to see.</p>
<p>When she did bring her eyes up, seeing Raelle's name carved in the stone sent Scylla to her knees. Tears erupted like a waterfall, as she couldn't contain her emotions. “You got what you wanted, didn't you?” she choked out between body-shaking sobs. “You got deployed straight out of Basic and got yourself killed. How could you?”</p>
<p>Scylla suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. “I miss her, too,” Anacostia said quietly. They weren't friends, they were only barely allies, but in this they shared pain. It brought them together better than their distrust of the military or Spree ever could.</p>
<p>“Why was it her?” Scylla cried. “It shouldn't have been her.”</p>
<p>“She was brave… selfless… strong… and a little reckless. That's what made her Raelle,” Anacostia replied. “She loved you, and regretted walking away like she did.”</p>
<p>“Then why didn't she come back to fix it, damn it?” Scylla ranted. “Why didn't she come back?” She had to wonder if this was her fault. Had her betrayal set Raelle back on the same destructive, reckless path? Why hadn’t she taken Raelle to Penelope Road? Raelle would have been safer with her mother than the military, surely. If nothing else, she wouldn’t have been deployed to China. She would be <em>alive</em>.</p>
<p>The strong hand on her shoulder kept her from crumpling forward into a heap of grief. Scylla felt like she wasn’t getting enough air through the sobs that racked her, her lungs on fire from a combination of grief and struggle for oxygen. How could it hurt so bad? This was a kind of pain she couldn’t ever imagine going away.</p>
<p>“What am I supposed to do?” Scylla asked, feeling pathetic.</p>
<p>Anacostia’s hand squeezed her shoulder, either offering strength, compassion, perhaps grounding. Maybe it was even a combination of all three. “What would she have told you to do?”</p>
<p>Scylla thought about it for a moment, before letting out a choked laugh. “She would have cracked some stupid joke about crying over her.” Leave it to Raelle Collar to lay down the worst jokes at the worst times. This would have been the perfect set up for her. “I… I don’t know what she would have wanted me to do.” It was hard to imagine Raelle wanting anything from her after their last conversation.</p>
<p>“Raelle gave her life to protect someone that couldn’t protect themselves,” Anacostia pointed out. “We have to keep fighting to honor her sacrifice.”</p>
<p>- - - - - - - -</p>
<p>“Pardons are out of the question,” Alder stated firmly. Others around the table nodded their agreement. This was the first subject that had been brought up in the conversation, and they were still on it.</p>
<p>“So, you want us to help you, only to be faced with death by the hands of the Camarilla as we fight, or by your hands after the war is over?” Willa asked, to clarify the ridiculous position that the general was trying to put her in. “From where I’m sitting, it sounds better to stay on our own. At least there’s a chance of escape, of survival.”</p>
<p>“The Spree have taken too many lives in their decades of operation,” Alder replied. “To pardon them would cause too great a rift between the military and civilians. President Wade would never agree to it, either.”</p>
<p>Willa was silent as she tried to think of a way to reason with General Alder. “Not everyone carries out the attacks,” she finally offered. “We have intelligence gathering, just like you do. Operatives that recruit others to our cause. Dodgers that had nowhere else to turn – witches that just want to live their lives.”</p>
<p>Now it was Sarah’s turn to think things over. Before she came up with a response, Petra leaned in to speak quietly to her, “We could offer non-violent Spree members the pardon, as long as they hand over the witches who have been committing the attacks on civilians.”</p>
<p>It wasn’t a terrible plan, Sarah had to admit. They could get the cooperation of the Spree, and still have something to show for their actions against the terrorist group at the end of all this. Then again, this could be yet another set up from General Bellweather, something to run to President Wade with to try and grab power.</p>
<p>No. They had to trust one another. It was the only way that they would survive.</p>
<p>She gave a short, curt nod and Petra righted herself in the chair. “If everyone at this table will agree to it, I am willing to offer pardons for the Spree. Only those that haven’t been directly involved in the civilian attacks, and on the condition that those who orchestrated the attacks are handed over willingly.”</p>
<p>Willa opened her mouth to fight it, but stopped short. What better offer could a terrorist organization hope to get, honestly? “And what about the Spree that are pardoned? Are you going to conscript them right back into the slavery they’re trying to avoid?”</p>
<p>“No,” Sarah decided. “If they serve alongside the military to defeat the Camarilla, their debt to society will be considered fulfilled. They will be monitored, to ensure they do not commit further crimes, but they will live as they choose.”</p>
<p>Willa considered the option. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted. The Spree would have to hand over what others considered war criminals, but at large, the rest would be free. Assuming they survived the war. Her ultimate decision would come down to whether or not she was willing to sacrifice the few to save the many.</p>
<p>It was the same decision so many leaders had to make.</p>
<p>“If I agree, how do you intend this alliance to work?” Willa asked.</p>
<p>Alder stopped herself from smiling in triumph. The possibility of a pardon was more than the Spree could have ever hoped for, and it gave her the upper hand to get what she wanted. “We will pool our resources and intelligence, and the Spree will work directly alongside the military to fight the Camarilla.” It was a fine line that Alder was going to have to walk. If President Wade found out she was working with the Spree, rather than actively trying to stop them, it would make things extremely difficult for her.</p>
<p>The survival of witches as a whole was far more important than ruffling presidential feathers. Alder had worked too hard for centuries to make a place for witches in the world, to let it all come to an end now.</p>
<p>“Alright,” Willa conceded. “The terms are acceptable. But if you go back on your word, Sarah Alder…”</p>
<p>“I won’t,” Alder shook her head. Then her attention went to the others around the table. “This alliance will only move forward if everyone at this table agrees to it.” She wouldn’t put herself in a position where any one of them could come back and say this had been her decision alone. They were all in this fight together and coming to a unanimous decision would force a link of trust between them all. If one of them was dragged down for this alliance, they all would be.</p>
<p>One by one, the other generals voiced their approval with a short, “I agree.” Of course, Petra Bellweather was the last one and took the very longest – even though she had floated the idea to Alder. But, eventually, she too sounded her support for the alliance. Everyone in the room understood what was at stake.</p>
<p>“Very well,” Alder stood from her seat. “We will have one of the currently unoccupied buildings repurposed for the Spree’s use as a base of operation during this joint mission. Dismissed.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Abigail and Raelle must prove themselves, Tally knows things, and a much-needed reunion occurs.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“The base,” Abigail gasped. “There’s the base.”</p><p>Raelle looked up, squinting through the waves of heat rising through the sand. In the distance she could see the chain link fence, the barricade, a few buildings. And above it all, the American flag waving in the wind. It was the military base.</p><p>They made it.</p><p>The trek through the desert left them worse for wear. Marching for nearly two days, only resting briefly so as not to waste too much time. They both had chapped lips and dry throats. Raelle truly had to wonder if it was solely Abigail’s sheer willpower driving them both forward with purpose. Bellweather sure had enough of it for the both of them.</p><p>Even before they got anywhere close, there was a short line of witches waiting for them. Though not hostile – yet – they were obviously ready.</p><p>“Identify yourselves,” one of the witches called out once the duo got within a few yards of the barricade.</p><p>“Private Raelle Collar.”</p><p>“Private Abigail Bellweather, United States military. We accompanied General Alder on a mission to rescue what remains of the Tarim a few days ago,” Abigail explained.</p><p>The witch that first spoke exchanged words with the woman to her right. “Show us your medals, now.”</p><p>Raelle and Abigail glanced at one another, then pulled out their medals and finished closing the distance between themselves and the stationed witches. There was a brief pause as the medals were inspected.</p><p>Then, the witch that had addressed them snorted. “If you’re going to impersonate someone, you better at least get their rank right.”</p><p>Puzzled, Abigail shared another look with Raelle before trying to get the situation straightened out. “I don’t know what you mean. We graduated Basic barely a week ago, we’re both still Private First Class.”</p><p>“According to these medals, Raelle Collar and Abigail Bellweather are Corporals,” the witch informed them. “And word came down that both Raelle Collar and Abigail Bellweather are dead.”</p><p>“You hear that, Bells? We look damn good for being dead,” Raelle cracked a joke when it was probably inappropriate to. Did she care, though? Not at all. “Who would have guessed that it takes dying around here to get promoted?”</p><p>“A posthumous promotion,” Abigail realized. “Look, we are who we say we are. If you can just put us in touch with Fort Salem, we can get this all figured out.”</p><p>Another pause, before things went south in a hurry. “Take them into custody and throw them in the stockade.”</p><p>The desert heat made them too slow. Neither Raelle nor Abigail was able to react before they were slapped in chains and had vocal dampeners thrown around their throats. “What are you doing?” Abigail demanded, struggling against the soldiers dragging them into camp.</p><p>“They think we’re Spree. Or Camarilla,” Raelle assumed. </p><p>“This is <em>not</em> how you treat a Bellweather!” Abigail insisted. Her struggling didn’t do her any good though. The desert left them dehydrated and weak.</p><p>“And you wonder why Adil said you’re arrogant,” Raelle rolled her eyes as they were manhandled into a building. They were each thrown into a holding cell, barred doors slamming behind them. Raelle didn’t even bother trying to get out, like Abigail was trying to shake her bars. Instead, she rested her back against the bars and slid down until she could sit.</p><p>“At least bring us some water!” Abigail called out as the other soldiers turned to file out of the building.</p><p>When the door shut, Abigail settled down and followed Raelle’s lead, sitting down on one side of the cell. “At least we’re out of the sand,” Raelle commented, watching Abigail. “And it’s not as hot in here.”</p><p>Abigail closed her eyes and let her head rest back against the bars behind her. “This is not how I expected this to go,” she admitted.</p><p>Raelle could only shrug. “According to the military, we’re dead. We <em>did</em> die. The last place we were alive was crawling with Camarilla. They’re being careful.” Not that Raelle was excusing the military’s actions. She didn’t think she’d ever excuse anything they did. But, she could see where they were coming from with all this caution.</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>Anacostia didn’t enjoy her weekly dinner with General Alder as much as she used to. Not now that her faith in the general had been shaken so thoroughly. In fact, she had to wonder if this had only ever been a ploy on Alder’s part, to keep her loyalty firmly rooted. To keep them seemingly connected on a personal level, rather than just their military bond.</p><p>Sometimes, she wished she hadn’t witnessed Alder puppeting the president. Deep down, though, she knew it was best to have the full truth – ugly as it was.</p><p>She was curious if Alder realized something in their dynamic had changed. There was always a tightness to Alder’s jaw, but now… Anacostia could see the general grinding her teeth. Then again, Alder had been tense since her return from China. </p><p>They were nearly halfway through their meal and Sarah had yet to broach any kind of conversation.</p><p>Unable to deal with the continued silence, Anacostia took the initiative to make small talk. “Craven still refuses to be reassigned to another unit, or to move from her dorm.”</p><p>Alder nodded absently. “Give her a few more days. She lost her unit.”</p><p>It was surprisingly… civil. Understanding, even. Far and away more than Anacostia could have expected from the general. The woman had an unrelenting, hard edge. Anacostia had never seen it waver before. In the last few weeks, so many things had changed.</p><p>“That’s very reasonable,” she agreed. “I think she will start feeling better when she has a unit again.”</p><p>Wherever their conversation was going came to an abrupt halt as the door to the dining room flew open and Izadora appeared. Her eyes were wide, shocked, and she didn’t speak immediately.</p><p>“This kind of interruption had better be for a good reason, Sergeant,” Alder filled the void, her voice annoyed.</p><p>“We just got news from the outpost in the Tarim Basin. Two women showed up claiming to be Raelle Collar and Abigail Bellweather,” Izadora spoke so quickly, it was almost hard to understand her.</p><p>Anacostia’s eyes widened and she looked over at Alder. “You said they were-“</p><p>“They were,” Alder snapped, sitting up straight in her chair. “They have to be imposters.”</p><p>“We are ready to link up with the outpost,” Izadora relayed.</p><p>“War room, now,” Alder ordered as she got to her feet.</p><p>Anacostia abandoned her half-eaten meal, just as the Biddies did, and fell in step beside Alder. There was no way that she would miss this. Even if it was a long shot, if Collar and Bellweather were actually alive, she would see it firsthand. She wouldn’t find out through the grapevine. It was more likely that these were imposters, but she had to see that for herself, too.</p><p>It was a brisk walk to the war room and already two Intelligence officers that could link with those in the China outpost were waiting.</p><p>“I want to know everything,” Alder demanded even before the door was secured.</p><p>“The Tarim Basin outpost made contact not long ago,” one of the officers explained. “They said two women walked to the base. It was clear they had been walking for some time, they were dehydrated. They claimed to be Abigail Bellweather and Raelle Collar. When asked to identify themselves, they provided the incorrect rank of Private.”</p><p>“Even if it was them, they might not have known that they’d been promoted,” Anacostia suddenly spoke. “They weren’t exactly here to see or hear it.”</p><p>Despite the interruption, the officer kept speaking. “The one claiming to be Bellweather relayed that they had been on the mission to rescue the Tarim with you, General.”</p><p>“Knowledge that could have been intercepted or seen firsthand by our enemies,” Alder dismissed the claim as proof. “Link up with the base again. We will find the proof we need.”</p><p>While one officer linked up with the seeing stone, the other tilted her head to the side ever so slightly. As the scene on the other side of the world came into focus, the officer began to whisper and open her communication channel. What they saw in the stone was through the eyes of a soldier, waiting outside of the stockade building for further orders. Once the two links had been established, she and another soldier walked into the building. On the stone, they could see that two women were being held – and they looked exactly like Abigail and Raelle.</p><p>Anacostia felt her heart skip a beat.</p><p>“We know that the Spree can take on the faces of others, we must establish their true identity,” Alder stated. Her expression was completely unreadable.</p><p>“But we just made an alliance with the Spree, why would they need to hide?” Anacostia asked quietly. The look that Sarah gave her had her straightening her posture and coming directly to attention. “Apologies, ma’am.”</p><p>“First, ask them the names of the Tarim that were brought back to Fort Salem,” Alder ordered. The question was relayed through the link, and then they could hear it repeated from the seeing stone.</p><p>“Adil and Khalida,” Abigail was the one to answer. “Why do you want to know that?”</p><p>Now Raelle spoke up, “They have to make sure it’s us.” There was a look of defiance on her face as she met the eyes of the soldiers in the room with them. “Not every day witches come back from the dead.”</p><p>Anacostia bit back her grin. Just the look on Raelle’s face was enough proof for her. She’d seen that same defiant look directed at her too many times to count. No one could fake that.</p><p>“If they are who they say they are, how did they survive?” Alder questioned.</p><p>This time, the two young witches looked at one another. It was clear Abigail expected Raelle to answer, and there was an uncertainty between them. “I don’t know,” finally Raelle spoke.</p><p>“That’s not good enough,” Alder practically hissed, the Biddies clicking their tongues in unison.</p><p>“What do you want me to say?” Raelle ranted, her usual, fiery self, shining even through the stone. “We fell, then we woke up, I don’t know… twelve hours later.”</p><p>“It’s not good enough,” Alder repeated with a shake of her head. “It’s nowhere near good enough.”</p><p>“Ask Collar how she got her first demerit,” Anacostia spoke up.</p><p>“I skipped out on Vocal to wander the base… met Scylla,” Raelle answered.</p><p>“Now ask Bellweather how her first meeting with Dean Hallmote went,” Anacostia requested.</p><p>It made Abigail laugh. “It was at the wedding. Tally and Raelle ditched me. The Dean barely said hello to me before bolting to the buffet table.”</p><p>Those things, those weren’t common knowledge. They were small details, things that only Abigail and Raelle could know. “It’s them,” Anacostia told Alder confidently. “I know my girls. It’s them.”</p><p>The tension in the room could have been sliced clean through with a knife. Alder took measured breaths, clearly thinking things through. Anacostia had to admit, it was hard to reconcile the fact that they had declared Collar and Bellweather dead – that so many others had seen them die – and there they were, sitting in holding cells like nothing had happened.</p><p>Suddenly, Alder’s attention whipped up and she met Anacostia’s eyes. “Bring them home, Sergeant. <em>Now</em>.” She then looked at the officer with the vocal link to China. “I want the ambush site reconned immediately. I want to know everything.”</p><p>Anacostia nodded and turned on her heel. Her steps were quick, itching to bring Abigail and Raelle back. When she opened the door, the rarest of occurrences happened: she nearly tripped over herself. She hadn’t expected to come face to face with Tally. “Craven, what are you-“</p><p>“I’m coming,” Tally blurted hastily.</p><p>“How did you-“</p><p>“I’m a knower. I know things,” Tally shrugged.</p><p>Anacostia heaved out a sigh and shook her head. “Fine. Come on. Wheels up in five minutes.”</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>After what Raelle and Abigail decided was a long distance interrogation, they were allowed out of the cages they’d been thrown into. Their cuffs had been removed, along with the vocal dampeners. However, they had been instructed to remain in the stockade building for now. This was still a dangerous area that the soldiers manning the base were used to, and they didn’t need a couple of new soldiers bumbling around.</p><p>They had been provided rations and water, which were consumed so quickly, Quartermaine would have chastised them heartily. Raelle’s impression of that very scenario had Abigail laughing so hard, she nearly choked on her water. Knowing that they were going to head back to Fort Salem had lifted their moods, made that long journey through the desert worth it.</p><p>While waiting for their transport to arrive, they even had the chance to get some much needed rest. A pillow and sheet had been provided to each of them. The concrete floor wasn’t the most comfortable bed in the world, but in the middle of the desert… at least it wasn’t sand.</p><p>It was while the two were asleep that the door to the stockade opened. No light came in from outside, it was still night. “Soldiers!” the word was barked out to wake them up. It worked, startling both Raelle and Abigail awake. “Your transport is on final approach. You are wheels up in less than ten minutes.”</p><p>Groggy from only a handful of hours of sleep, Raelle staggered to her feet and grabbed her uniform jacket. On the other side of the room, Abigail was muttering to herself. After days with only an hour or two of sleep, they certainly hadn’t gotten enough rest. Raelle had to wonder if Quartermaine would be there waiting when they got back, ready to tell them that their uniforms weren’t up to regulation – too wrinkled, too soiled.</p><p>She stepped outside as the beat of helicopter rotors could be heard approaching. Abigail was a step behind her. “Think they’ll let us sleep on the way back?” Raelle asked, hopeful.</p><p>“I don’t think they’re going to have a choice,” Abigail responded. “Come on, Collar, let’s go home.”</p><p>The bat had only barely touched down on the landing pad before a figure jumped from it. A flash of red hair told Raelle who it was even before the witch called out for them.</p><p>“Raelle! Abigail!” Tally cried as she sprinted the distance between them.</p><p>The three women dove together in a group hug with enough force to knock the wind out of each of them. Raelle squeezed with every bit of strength she had. Out of all the people that could have been sent to bring them home, she never expected Tally.</p><p>Abigail was the first to pull back. “Tally, you’re… you’re back to yourself,” she said in shock.</p><p>“Yeah,” Tally said, breathless from the joy of being reunited with her unit. “When we got back to Fort Salem, Alder took two new Biddies and they were able to release me from the work.”</p><p>“The grey didn’t look half bad on you, Craven,” Raelle joked as she leaned back to look at Tally.</p><p>“Craven! Collar! Bellweather! Get your asses moving, now!” There was the second surprise, as Quartermaine shouted orders at them. The bat was being refueled while still hot, hinting at how quick this turnaround was meant to be.</p><p>Tally kept her arms around Raelle’s and Abigail’s shoulders, turning to talk with them back to the helicopter. She only let go once they got close to the bat.</p><p>Raelle glanced over at Abigail and it was clear they had the same thing in mind. A second later, they threw themselves at the sergeant, wrapping her in a tight hug as well.</p><p>They were only allowed to stay like that for only half a breath. “You will let go of me in three seconds. Three… two…” Quartermaine’s countdown stopped when the two soldiers complied. “Load up. We’re leaving.”</p><p>The Bellweather unit did as they were told, piling into the bat. Quartermaine kept her feet on the ground long enough to share a few words with the soldiers on the base. However, less than fifteen minutes later, they were up in the air. </p><p>Tally sat between Raelle and Abigail, hands firmly clasped with her unit sisters. “What happened to you two? You were on the ground- Raelle, that blade went right through your heart.”</p><p>Raelle’s free hand lifted, thumb rubbing the spot over her heart. There was a scar where the blade had sliced clean through her. “I remember, Tal. I was there,” she replied.</p><p>“And that explosion! What was that?” Tally pressed. As happy as she was to have her unit back, there was a burning curiosity about just how they had survived.</p><p>This time, in Raelle’s silence, Abigail offered up the only answer that they had, “We don’t know.”</p><p>“Alder isn’t going to accept that as your only answer,” Quartermaine pointed out from her seat across from them. “She is going to ask you again and again until she gets the answer that she wants.”</p><p>“Well, she can ask all she wants. It’s not like we’re going to suddenly know the answer to give her,” Raelle shrugged.</p><p>Quartermaine leaned forward. “If there is something that you know… tell me. Help me in helping you,” she requested sincerely. “They dubbed it a witchbomb, what happened in the mountains. They’re going to want to weaponize it. To weaponize <em>you</em>.” She held Raelle’s gaze as she spoke, then glanced to Abigail. “I don’t want that any more than you do. There is a lot going on now, more than you know.”</p><p>“Alder made a deal with the Spree,” Tally blurted out, making Anacostia’s eyes go wide. “The military is going to work with the Spree to fight the Camarilla. Alder offered pardons to the agents that haven’t committed attacks against civilians.”</p><p>“Craven!” Quartermaine snapped to stop her.</p><p>Tally turned toward Raelle, looking her directly in the eyes. “Scylla is on base.”</p><p>“<em>Craven!</em>” Quartermaine barked louder, making Tally shrink back in her seat about.</p><p>Dumbfounded, Raelle’s jaw fell open as she looked back to the sergeant. “What?” she asked. “You- you said they were sending her to a prison that there’s no coming back from.”</p><p>Anacostia growled out her frustration, glaring at Tally, who – though she had shrunk away – didn’t look like she regretted one word. “Scylla… escaped, before transport got to her.”</p><p>The hesitation in her voice, Raelle didn’t think that was totally the truth. “You were overseeing the security of her holding cell,” she pointed out. “Nothing gets past you; you’ve said it yourself.”</p><p>Quartermaine pursed her lips – a telltale sign that someone in the Bellweather unit was on to something they shouldn’t have been. “Let it go, Collar. You and Bellweather need to rest. Alder is going to want a debriefing the second this bat lands.”</p><p>Though Raelle wanted to argue more, she decided against it. It was a discussion that could be continued once they were back on base. There was a chance their pilot and co-pilot could overhear the conversation, there was no way Anacostia would offer up any more on the subject.</p><p>So, instead, for once, Raelle actually listened to the sergeant. She shifted in her seat, so she could lean against Tally, laying her head on the redhead’s shoulder. Abigail seemed to have a similar idea, scooting away briefly before laying down and resting her head in Tally’s lap. As the two exhausted soldiers closed their eyes, their hands remained tightly clasped in Tally’s.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In anticipation of the coming chapters, I went ahead and added the violence warning to this story. Going forward, things are going to get messy.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which soldiers get no rest, Scylla sees a ghost, and the Camarilla publicly announce their return.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Between changing modes of transport on their way back to Fort Salem, and the distance they had to cross to begin with, night had fallen before the base came into view. Raelle looked down at the grounds as the helicopter hovered before starting its descent. As Anacostia had predicted, someone was waiting for them, not far from the helo pad.</p><p>Raelle’s attention came back into the helicopter as a hand grabbed hers. Looking over, Abigail had reached across Tally to take her hand.</p><p>“I got your back,” Abigail promised.</p><p>Raelle nodded and squeezed Bellweather’s hand. “And I got yours.” She knew there was more to it than a simple vow. Anacostia was right. Alder saw what happened in China, they were a bomb that went off and wiped out the rest of the Camarilla – and they’d died and come back, to boot. This was about preventing them, preventing Raelle, from being turned into a weapon and exploited by their superiors.</p><p>The bat touched down and as it powered down, they disembarked. It was Izadora that approached them. “Corporal Bellweather, Corporal Collar, welcome home. General Alder has ordered your immediate presence in the war room,” she relayed.</p><p>“Can’t they have five minutes to shower and change?” Anacostia spoke up before any of her soldiers could.</p><p>“Unfortunately, no,” Izadora shook her head. “This, apparently, cannot wait.”</p><p>“Let’s go,” Abigail told the other two.</p><p>“Ah, hold on. Corporal Craven was not requested,” the sergeant told them.</p><p>“Too bad. Tally goes where we go. Alder broke apart our unit once, she’s not doing it again,” Raelle stated fiercely.</p><p>Izadora held up her hands in surrender – Raelle didn’t think there had been much fight in her, in this situation, to begin with. “Very well. If you’ll follow me, General Alder is waiting.”</p><p>Abigail took point, right behind Izadora as they crossed the grounds. Tally and Raelle walked alongside one another behind her. Anacostia followed along behind them, not ready to let the Bellweather unit out of her sight yet.</p><p>Fort Salem was quiet, peaceful. According to one of the clocks, it was the wee hours of the morning. In a couple of hours the sun would begin to crest the horizon. There was no one else in sight, save for the five women heading into the main building. Everyone on base was still asleep. Raelle wondered if Alder had orchestrated their return to be done under the cover of night, so that no one would know that she and Abigail were still alive until the general knew what happened.</p><p>Into the building they went, footsteps echoing in the lonely halls. On approach to the war room, Anacostia called out to them before they got to the door, “Ladies. A moment.”</p><p>All three from the Bellweather unit stopped at once, facing the sergeant. Izadora stopped as well. “Sergeant Quartermaine, they have direct orders,” she pointed out.</p><p>“I only need a few seconds,” Anacostia replied.</p><p>Izadora nodded and moved further up the hall, while the three corporals closed the distance between themselves and Anacostia. Raelle thought she saw a glimmer of worry in Quartermaine’s eyes. It was a strange sight, given the fact that they had only ever seen the sergeant show emotion on rare occasions. Anacostia Quartermaine was about as tightly a closed book as anyone could be. Maybe a trait she picked up from General Alder.</p><p>“Watch what you say in there,” Anacostia advised quietly so as not to be overheard. “She will be watching every move you make, hang on every word you say. She will not relent until she is satisfied that your ‘I don’t know’ story is the truth, or you give up what you know. I can only help you as much as you let me… and look what happened when you decided to go to someone else instead of me.”</p><p>The look Anacostia gave each of them was imploring, caring. The three of them had disrupted chain of command once, going to Petra Bellweather. It had taken the situation so far out of Quartermaine’s hands that she’d had no hope of helping. She didn’t want that to happen again.</p><p>Sure, Petra had meant well when she went to President Wade about Citydrop and Scylla’s capture. However, there had been an ulterior motive to it: to advance her own career and make a move on General Alder’s power. General Bellweather hadn’t taken the long game into account. She had considered no outcomes other than the one that she wanted, and didn’t think there could be consequences.</p><p>The Bellweather unit had paid the price for such shortsightedness.</p><p>“If you stick with the story you gave me, I will back you up,” Quartermaine added. “We’ll talk more after your debriefing, and after you’ve had some rest. Now, go on. I’m sure the general knows you’re exactly thirteen seconds late.”</p><p>The Bellweather unit shared a laugh, then walked together to the war room. Abigail was the first to the door, stepping inside. Then Tally. Then Raelle.</p><p>It was only General Alder and the Biddies inside, and the look on Alder’s face when she saw Tally was meant to level them. “Corporal Craven, your presence was not requested for this meeting.”</p><p>“She goes where we go,” Abigail repeated Raelle’s words from outside. </p><p>“And if you’re looking to punish us for that, not much worse you can do than leaving us for dead.” Raelle may have laid it on a little thick as she walked to the table with confidence and sat down across from Alder. Tally sat to her left, and Abigail to Tally’s left.</p><p>Alder ground her teeth together at such blatant insubordination. However, she took a deep breath to calm herself back down. “Ladies, I am overjoyed to see that you are alive and well. It has not been made public that you survived the Camarilla ambush, but I will make the announcement in the morning.”</p><p>“Why wait?” Abigail asked with feigned, perhaps a little over the top curiosity. “I’m sure everyone would be thrilled to know that we’re okay.”</p><p>“There will be a boost in morale across the base when the announcement is made,” General Alder nodded. “It has been a somber time since the mission to rescue the Tarim. You will be happy to know that they are all alive and well, thanks to your brave, selfless actions.”</p><p>“And what about the Spree on base?” Raelle dove headfirst, straight for the jugular of a conversation Alder likely wasn’t ready to have. The general was supposed to be the one asking the questions here, after all.</p><p>Alder’s annoyance with the unit wasn’t abating, and she lifted a brow at Tally – knowing that was who let such information slip. “It’s true,” she admitted, then looking at the other two corporals. “I, along with the other generals, have come to an agreement with the Spree for the good of all witches. The Camarilla pose a threat to all of us. With a greater number of witches coming together to work for a common cause, we will prevail in this war.”</p><p>“And you’re going to pardon them?” Now Abigail questioned the general.</p><p>“Those who have committed no attacks on the civilian population will be pardoned,” Alder confirmed. </p><p>“Lucky them,” Raelle commented dryly. “Sounds like they got a pretty good deal to me. Ditch the military, join a terrorist group, and so long as they didn’t kill anybody, they get a free pass.”</p><p>“Corporal Collar you will watch your tone,” Alder warned. The lights in the war room dimmed ever so slightly with the general’s frustration. “Now, you will debrief your time in the Tarim Basin. I want to know everything that happened.”</p><p>“You know as much as we do, General,” Abigail spoke up. “When Corporal Collar was attacked, I ran back to Link with her. I couldn’t move her. We both ended up on the ground and the helicopter left. We woke up the next day.”</p><p>Alder leaned forward. “I want to know about the witchbomb.”</p><p>“That’s what you’re calling it?” Raelle asked, as though Anacostia hadn’t mentioned it. If the sergeant was serious about helping them, they had to have her back, too.</p><p>“Seems fitting for an explosion with a witch at the heart of it,” Alder answered. “How did it happen?” She looked directly at Raelle, holding her gaze in an unnerving manner.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Raelle shook her head. The only thing she knew for sure was what was going through her head in those last moments. She’d thought of Scylla, mostly. Damn Abigail for being right. But, she also thought about Bellweather, too. She didn’t want Abigail to die for her.</p><p>Raelle didn’t want to die.</p><p>Alder sighed. “You can make this much easier on yourselves,” she told them. “I know you’re tired, I know you’re hungry. The faster you tell me what you know, the faster you can go have a hot shower, a warm meal, and your soft beds.”</p><p>Silence stretched between the soldiers and the general. Even if they knew exactly what happened, Anacostia was right when she cautioned them. Alder was ready and willing to use anything at all as a weapon to win her wars. It was why they’d extracted the Tarim, after all, for their songs.</p><p>“Fine,” Alder cut through the quiet, her tone clipped. “We’ll do this the long, drawn out way.” She met each of their gazes, before finally settling her eyes on Raelle – again. “Do you have to be dying, to trigger the witchbomb?”</p><p>The Bellweather unit’s eyes all went wide at that question. The implications chilled them each to their bones. “General, I don’t thi-“</p><p>Alder cut Tally off, “-this does not involve you, Craven. Speak out of turn again, and I will remove you from this room.” She looked back at Raelle. “Well?”</p><p>Raelle could feel the tickle of fear sliding down her spine like spider webs. She took Sergeant Quartermaine’s advice to heart, and didn’t let that anxiety show. “General Alder, I wish I had answers for you, ma’am. I blacked out; I don’t remember an explosion.” She wouldn’t admit that they’d died. Alder would never get off their case. It was bad enough that she knew Raelle was the one that created the explosion.</p><p>“Do you have to be Linked with Corporal Bellweather to trigger it?” Alder pressed.</p><p>“I don’t know, General.”</p><p>Alder sat back in her seat, lips pursed into a thin line. Her fingers drummed against the top of the table between them. On the outside she was calm and collected, but her eyes betrayed the frustration just below the surface. “The site of the ambush has been reconned,” she informed them. “You two left quite the crater behind. More interestingly… the recon team found the area teeming with new flora growth. Species of mushrooms never seen before. Do you know anything about that?”</p><p>Raelle glanced across Tally and met Abigail’s eyes, shrugging and giving a faint shake of her head. “We did notice a crater around us, General,” Bellweather spoke, turning her gaze back to the older witch. “But we didn’t see any mushrooms. We were focused on getting to the military base to get home.”</p><p>“Hm,” Alder hummed thoughtfully. “It’s quite the path of new growth, heading off in the direction of the base from where your position was. Hard to imagine you couldn’t have seen anything.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, General,” Abigail shook her head. “We were focused on our mission. While we kept aware of our surroundings, in case the Camarilla was still in the area, we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.”</p><p>They had promised Tally no more secrets, but this… they couldn’t just give Alder the truth. It was too dangerous for them. They needed to understand what happened themselves, before they let the truth out. <em>If</em> they ever let the truth out. Tally was with them, Raelle knew, when Tally reached for her hand under the table and squeezed it for support.</p><p>“Samples of the newfound mushrooms are en route back to the Fort as we speak,” Alder said. “I’m looking forward to getting to the bottom of this, ladies.”</p><p>Raelle couldn’t imagine what the samples might tell them. Unless it showed a link to the Mycelium. That could be a hard one to explain… was that why she survived? Was it the source of the witchbomb? Izadora hadn’t given her much information on it, but Raelle had felt the power resonating from it – calling to her. Izadora warned that touching it was a kind of Link, one that was eternal.</p><p>There was that brush of panic, rustling at her spine. Her grip on Tally’s hand tightened unconsciously. Tally was good, though, she didn’t betray her concern by looking at Raelle. She only matched Raelle’s grip to keep her grounded.</p><p>They were going to have to talk about all of this. And if they all agreed that they could trust Anacostia, they’d have to discuss it with her.</p><p>“In the mountains, I said we would discuss this unit’s future when we returned to base,” Alder suddenly switched tactics. “Already, you have promoted faster than any other unit in your class. A week out of Basic and you are each Corporals – you should be very proud. However, War College assignments have been postponed indefinitely.”</p><p>“What does that mean?” Abigail asked, her brow furrowing.</p><p>“Our intelligence suggests the Camarilla number far too great, not to utilize every soldier that we have to fight. Those already in War College will continue with some of their specialized officer classes, but are also eligible for deployment, just like infantry. Starting with your class and continuing as long as this war drags on, all soldiers will continue into advanced combat training when they are not deployed to fight the Camarilla.” Alder paused for a moment to allow them to digest the news. “War College assignments will resume after the Camarilla are crushed. Our conversation about your futures may commence then, if you continue to prove yourselves as assets to this military.”</p><p>And there it was: the hook to keep them in line. The piece of bait to get them to be cooperative. If they gave Alder what she wanted, she would put them in War College.</p><p>“We will prove ourselves individually, and as a unit,” Abigail said firmly.</p><p>“Good.” Alder watched them for a moment before standing. She rolled a covered cart over toward them, and pulled off the cloth to reveal three still warm meals. “Eat, then go rest. I’m sure Sergeant Quartermaine will agree that you’ve earned a couple days of respite before getting back to training.”</p><p>“Thank you, General Alder,” Abigail spoke for the unit again.</p><p>Alder looked them over one more time. It was a lingering moment, waiting to see if they would say anything else. When they didn’t, she left them in the war room – Biddies filing out behind her.</p><p>The Bellweather unit all shared a meaningful look, communicating without a single word said between them. Nothing of consequence could be said in this room. It felt like the walls had eyes and ears – whatever they discussed here, Alder would no doubt know.</p><p>So, they only made small talk while eating their meals quickly. The sooner they got out of the war room, the better. Tally mostly filled Raelle and Abigail in on what happened in their absence: who cried at their memorial, Anacostia trying to convince her to change dorms and units, and the reaction of the graduating class as a whole, finding out they were no longer guaranteed their War College spots.</p><p>By the time they were done and walking out of the building, the sky above was starting to lighten in color. Raelle followed Abigail and Tally, who were all too happy to lead the way back to Circe. Even Tally was exhausted after a round trip to China and back. Raelle couldn’t wait to get a shower and lay down in an actual bed.</p><p>But, as they crossed the base, her steps slowed to a halt. She looked off into the distance, something pulling her in that direction.</p><p>“Rae, come on!” Tally called from where she and Abigail stopped a few yards ahead.</p><p>“I’ll, uh… I’ll catch up,” Raelle told them. “You guys go ahead.” Without an explanation, Raelle took off in the other direction.</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>Dawn was just approaching the horizon, sky creeping from a light-specked black to a deep blue. Soft yellows and pinks wouldn’t be far behind. She should have still been asleep, or at least, in the process of just now waking up. Yet, Scylla hadn’t slept a wink the night before. </p><p>It was strange to be back in Fort Salem. Yesterday, soldiers she had passed were happy to hiss insults at her.<em> Traitor. Spree trash</em>. Didn’t they know all she wanted to do was free them from chains and collars that they couldn’t see?</p><p>They didn’t care. Sarah Alder told them that the Spree were the enemy, and they blindly fell into it.</p><p>Scylla would let the insults roll off of her. She didn’t care what they thought. There was only one person in the world whose opinion had mattered to her. Now, that person was dead.</p><p>And she was standing in front of their grave, not for the first time.</p><p>“We should have gone to the stupid beach,” Scylla’s voice was thick with emotion. She wanted to cry, but she’d given up so many tears since hearing the news of Raelle’s death, she didn’t think there were any more to give. It felt like she was dried up, a husk that had let so much emotion flow, it could never happen again.</p><p>“We would have been safe there,” she continued. Her arms were crossed over herself, a shield to protect her from the stone with Raelle’s name carved so coldly into it.</p><p>If there had ever been any doubts in her mind that the world was a bitter, cruel place, those doubts shattered and scattered to the wind. The military killed her parents. The military got Raelle killed. Everything and everyone she had cared about, the military took from her. And now, here she was, poised to work alongside the military with Raelle’s mother.</p><p>What a sick joke.</p><p>“I could have lived with you hating me,” Scylla admitted. “I could have lived with you never wanting to see me again. Damn it, I could have lived the rest of my life in prison, so long as you were alive.” Anacostia said that Raelle still loved her. Regretted walking out of the holding cell like she did. Scylla still wasn’t sure she believed it, but what reason would Anacostia have had to lie about that?</p><p>So absorbed in her own grief, Scylla didn’t notice right away that she wasn’t alone in the cemetery. Eventually, she realized that there was a figure standing in the same row of graves as she was, seeing them from the corner of her eye. Annoyed that her solitude was broken, Scylla looked up – and promptly stopped breathing.</p><p>“<em>Raelle</em>,” she whispered, eyes wide with recognition. It was impossible. She’d just been staring at Raelle’s grave, but Raelle was <em>right there</em>. Had grief finally taken its toll? Was she seeing a ghost?</p><p>Scylla’s arms fell to her sides as she took a couple of hasty steps forward, only to stop herself. This couldn’t be real. Her mind was only showing her what she wanted to see. </p><p>Then, the specter started walking toward her.</p><p>Suddenly uncaring if this was a figment of her imagination, Scylla ran. The distance between herself and the phantom closed like it was nothing. When Scylla threw her arms around Raelle, she connected with a warm, solid body. Just that was enough to bring tears to her eyes, cascading down her cheeks like rivers.</p><p>“Raelle,” she choked out the blonde’s name. The soldier was tense in her hold, but she couldn’t care less. Nothing mattered as much in that moment as the fact that Raelle was there. She was <em>there</em>.</p><p>Scylla pulled back and met grey-blue eyes, seeing tears shimmering back at her – though they refused to fall. Her hands ran up Raelle’s arms, over her shoulders, up to cup her cheeks. Scylla wanted to hold Raelle, touch every part of her, know without a doubt that she hadn’t lost her mind and this wasn’t just another cruel trick.</p><p>“Raelle, oh my god.” One of Scylla’s hands slipped back down, to rest over Raelle’s heart. The lightest of Links formed between them, just so Scylla could feel the blonde’s heartbeat. “You’re alive. You’re okay – please, tell me you’re okay.”</p><p>“I’m okay,” Raelle confirmed. She looked down, fidgeting a bit – her right thumb pressing into her left palm. The palm Scylla could say ‘hello’ on. Raelle took a step back from her, severing their physical connection.</p><p>Scylla felt the distance like a tangible blow.</p><p>Raelle sniffed, swiping her finger under her nose as she stuffed her left hand into her pocket. “I wanted you to know,” she explained. “I didn’t want you to hear rumors or anything. I wanted to be the one to tell you.”</p><p>Scylla saw raw emotion in Raelle’s eyes, even as the soldier looked around to avoid eye contact. She was trying to rein in her emotions. “They said you died,” she pointed out. “There was an attack and they saw you fall. I was at your <em>gravestone,</em> Raelle.”</p><p>“Yeah, well… takes a lot more than that to get rid of me,” Raelle shrugged. She was trying so hard to remain nonchalant, neutral. She was guarded. And she looked exhausted.</p><p>“What happened?” Scylla pressed. She had to know. How could the military make such a big mistake as to think a witch was dead, when they weren’t?</p><p>“Scyl.” Raelle looked surprised that she used the affectionate nickname. “I’m tired. I walked through the mountains and the desert, and traveled halfway around the world just for Alder to interrogate me. We… we’ll talk later.”</p><p>Scylla felt her breath catch again. She wanted to ask when ‘later’ was. She wasn’t ready for Raelle to go; she was desperate for the tired soldier to stay. But… they weren’t together anymore. If Raelle wanted to leave, that was her right to. “Okay,” she quietly relented.</p><p>Raelle didn’t leave immediately. She lingered awkwardly, looking as though there was something on the tip of her tongue. Scylla didn’t push her, feeling like right now, Raelle was a deer that even the slightest wrong move would send her bounding away – never to be seen again.</p><p>Scylla was surprised when Raelle’s hand reached out, gently taking hers. “I’ll find you,” Raelle assured her.</p><p>She nodded as Raelle let go, turning to walk away. Scylla licked her lips, so eager to call out after the blonde. But she didn’t. She would respect Raelle’s wishes, give the woman space. She’d just come back from being assumed dead, after all. And from the little bit of information she had gotten in their brief exchange, Raelle had been through a lot.</p><p>Scylla would be patient.</p><p>She would try.</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>That evening, Raelle sat in the Circe rec room with Abigail and Tally. They had taken over a couch – Raelle on one end, Abigail next to her, and Tally stretched out with her legs across Abigail’s lap. General Alder had announced the return of Corporals Bellweather and Collar that morning, while the unit got some much-needed sleep.</p><p>Now that they had ventured back out into the general population, other soldiers were keeping their distance. The Bellweather unit was used to the whispers and the rumors, so this wasn’t anything new. None of them really minded being left alone, either. Of course, Glory and a few others that were close to the unit came by to say how happy they were that Raelle and Abigail were still alive, but that was it.</p><p>The TV in the rec room was playing the evening news, when suddenly, the screen went black. A moment after, it shifted to a picture with the words “<strong>PLEASE STAND BY</strong>” on it.</p><p>“What’s going on?” Tally asked as she looked at the television, shifting so that she could sit up.</p><p>“Maybe a broadcast interruption?” Abigail suggested.</p><p>Raelle didn’t think that was it, though. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Others in the rec room had taken notice and started gravitating toward the TV. There was a strange energy in the room.</p><p>When the picture finally came back, it wasn’t the news. Instead, it was a slightly grainy video of an abandoned building. Spotlights illuminated the area, illuminated three witches bound to stakes atop pyres. There was a man standing next to the pyres, a hat on his head, dark glasses over his eyes, and a bandana covering the lower half of his face. He had a torch in his hand.</p><p>“<em>Hear now this: two things shall come to thee in a moment one day, the loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come to thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.</em>” The man’s voice boomed in a strange, distorted way, just like the Camarilla’s had in the mountains in China. The video bobbed a bit as the person holding the camera moved closer.</p><p>Raelle recognized the words. He was preaching a sermon from the church, against the use of work and against witches as a whole.</p><p>“<em>For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness; thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me</em>.”</p><p>While the man spewed his hateful speech, the witches could be heard trying to scream. They were struggling against their bonds. From what Raelle could tell, they looked like they were dressed in the Scandinavian military uniform. The Camarilla had been in China, hunting the Tarim. They were now in the Scandinavian countries, attacking that military. They were everywhere.</p><p>And they were letting the world know it.</p><p>“<em>Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth; and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off; and <span class="u">desolation</span> shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know</em>.</p><p>“<em>Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast labored from thy youth.</em></p><p>“<em>Thou art wearied in the multitude of thine counsels. Let now the astrologers, the prognosticators, the sorcerers come forth. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame!</em>”</p><p>The man turned and walked along the line of pyres, dipping his torch into each one. The flames caught immediately, making the witches scream louder, struggle harder. The video didn’t move away as the witches were burned alive for the world to see.</p><p>Raelle could see from her peripheral vision as Tally turned in toward Abigail, unable to watch. The others in the room were dead silent, staring at the TV in horror. Now they could see – they could see for themselves what the company with Alder had seen in China.</p><p>The festering hatred that Alder had promised was gone didn’t disappear two hundred years ago. It was here, it was now, it was happening right in front of their eyes.</p><p>As the fires raged, the man with the torch stepped toward the camera. “<em>We will free our brothers and sisters from the tyranny of those that would use their wicked ways to kill us and ravage our world. We will finish this war with the enemies of the Lord, that our ancestors started centuries ago. Expect us.</em>”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Whew, that was a doozy to write. If you're curious, the Camarilla's speech was adapted from a KJV passage in Isaiah 47 (I thought it fitting they use the KJV, just like Raelle does for her Linking/healing).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Anacostia gets pulled into the fold, Raelle needs air, and two daughters are reunited with their mothers.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>With their sleep schedules thrown off so thoroughly, the Bellweather unit was up far too early in the morning. Raelle decided it was the best time for them to discuss their next move. Everything needed to be out in the open between them. No more secrets, about anything.</p><p>In the couple of hours leading up to breakfast, they had talked and discussed all of their options. Raelle laid everything out for her unit sisters. By the end of the lengthy conversation, they knew that this was beyond what they could handle on their own. They needed someone else on their side.</p><p>They needed Anacostia.</p><p>So, at Mess during breakfast, Tally had crept over to Sergeant Quartermaine, relaying that the unit needed to have a talk with her. Though Anacostia hadn’t agreed or disagreed, she did tell them to return to their dorm after their meal.</p><p>That left the trio waiting for more than an hour, mostly in silence. Tally was sitting with Raelle on the bottom bunk, Abigail across from them on her bed with her back against the wall. Anacostia had said she would help them, surely she wouldn’t leave them hanging. But the longer they waited, the more Raelle was doubting bringing the sergeant into this mess.</p><p>Raelle felt her left palm begin to itch and as she rubbed it to soothe the feeling away, she felt the raised bumps of a scar-like ‘S’ beneath her fingertips. Her right hand cradled the left as she turned it over to see the letter etched there. She felt Tally’s gaze on her and looked up to meet the redhead’s eyes. Tally offered the barest of nods, and Raelle looked back down at her hand.</p><p>A moment later, the door to their room opened and Anacostia stepped in without announcing herself. She closed the door behind herself and marked a sigil over the doorknob. “You three are to never do that,” she instructed, regarding the use of the sigil in locking the door. She walked across the space, pulling a chair away from the desk so she could sit with the unit. “Well?”</p><p>“Alder wants to turn Raelle into a weapon,” Abigail began, not mincing words.</p><p>Quartermaine didn’t looked surprised. “Walk me through what happened leading up to the witchbomb,” she instructed.</p><p>Suddenly, all eyes were on Raelle. Without realizing it, her thumb traced the mark on her left palm as uneasiness settled inside her again. “I didn’t even feel the blade, not at first,” she recounted for the sergeant. “All I knew was that something wasn’t right. I saw it, then it disappeared, and I hit the ground. Then Abigail was above me, Linking with me. But it was too much. She hit the ground next to me. I was thinking about Scylla… about Abigail – I didn’t want her to die for me. <em>I</em> didn’t want to die. And then… everything stopped.”</p><p>That got Anacostia’s attention. She leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees. “You two…”</p><p>“Yeah,” Raelle met Abigail’s eyes from across the room. Abigail nodded – both her agreement and her support. “My heart stopped. Her heart stopped. Everything. After it all stopped, I heard Scylla’s voice, something she told me after the pageant.”</p><p>“What was it?” Anacostia asked.</p><p>“Life becomes death, which becomes life again,” Raelle recited. “Death is more complicated than people think. It’s not so cut and dry.”</p><p>“Then?” Anacostia urged her onward.</p><p>“Then, I could hear a heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Mine and Abigail’s. Our hands were still connected. When I finally woke up, I saw her still laying there, woke her up. We were in a crater, white light surrounding us, some strange debris floating up from the ground beyond the white light. There were mushrooms growing beyond the light, too.” If there was anything that could give Alder a clue to what had really happened in the Altai mountains, it was those damn fungi.</p><p>“Mushrooms?” Anacostia repeated, clearly puzzled, but also intrigued.</p><p>“Unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” Abigail confirmed. “They were growing everywhere around us. When we got up and started walking, the light stayed under our feet, the debris stayed around it – and the mushrooms followed us.”</p><p>Anacostia took a moment to absorb the information. This was like putting a puzzle together where all the pieces were jumbled into a pile and they didn’t have a picture to reference. “You three are going to be the end of me,” she shook her head, heaving out a sigh. “Do you have <em>any</em> idea how this might have happened?”</p><p>It was the first time that Raelle hesitated in the conversation. This was it, the moment of no turning back. This last piece of information could make or break them, and could prove if Anacostia was really on their side or not. And, of course, Quartermaine noticed it.</p><p>“Collar,” she said, voice lacking its usual hard edge. “I can only help you as much as you let me.”</p><p>Raelle took a steadying breath, realizing that as she pressed against her left palm, those raised bumps were no longer there. The loss was actually distressing, but she pushed through it. “The Mycelium, in the Necro building,” she finally offered up. “I… I touched it.”</p><p>If there was ever a time that they had truly blindsided Anacostia, it was in that moment. “You, what?” she demanded, that edge right back in her voice.</p><p>“When I was looking for Scylla, when <em>you</em> told me she was missing,” Raelle justified herself. “I went into the Necro building to find her. I… I felt the Mycelium while I was down there. It was like... it was calling me to it, drawing me in. And I touched it.”</p><p>Anacostia leaned back in the chair, looking somewhere between annoyed and concerned. “Izadora hasn’t told me much about it, mostly that it’s there. Some kind of ancient, sentient, living death fungus, I think were her exact words.”</p><p>“That’s about what she told me,” Raelle nodded. “And that if I had touched it, I would be linked to it forever.”</p><p>“Collar, do you <em>ever</em> stop to think about anything before you do it?” Quartermaine sighed.</p><p>A wavering smiled graced Raelle’s lips for the shortest of moments. “No, ma’am.” She looked down at her hands. “There was some kind of residue on my finger, where I had touched it. It was there until I fixed Khalida. Then it was gone and I hadn’t taken on any of the plague, like I normally would have.”</p><p>“Khalida…” Anacostia trailed off, thinking back to the girl’s ‘miraculous’ recovery. “Izadora was agitated for a couple of days around that time, wouldn’t tell anyone what was wrong. Maybe that had something to do with it.”</p><p>“I fixed Tally during Citydrop,” Raelle realized. “She broke her leg and it didn’t hurt me to fix at all. And that boy from the Tarim, he had the plague just like Khalida and I fixed him too. None of it affected me.”</p><p>Anacostia was quiet for a moment as she thought the situation through. Bellweather unit was the most troublesome one she ever had – and she wouldn’t give them up for anything. “Izadora could help,” she decided.</p><p>“Can we trust her?” Tally spoke up protectively. </p><p>“We can,” Anacostia assured them. “I will discuss this situation with her first, and we’ll figure out what to do from here.”</p><p>“Alder wants to turn Raelle into a weapon,” Abigail reiterated. “She asked how the witchbomb could be triggered, if Raelle had to be dying for it to happen. We won’t let her weaponize Raelle like that.”</p><p>“No. We will not,” Anacostia agreed, looking between the soldiers. After a moment, she stood up, straightening out her military jacket. “Training will resume for the Bellweather unit tomorrow. Rest up while you can, ladies.” She walked across the room, removing the sigil from the door before stepping outside.</p><p>Raelle, Abigail, and Tally all looked at one another. “I need some air,” Raelle decided.</p><p>Tally glanced down, eying how Raelle massaged her palm. “Air, right,” she teased.</p><p>“Shut up, Tal,” Raelle rolled her eyes, though the hint of a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. She scooted across the bed and pulled herself up. On the way out the door, she grabbed her military jacket and threw it on, leaving it open in the front.</p><p>Raelle headed out of Circe and into the broken sunshine of mid-morning. Clouds floated by overhead, the faint scent of rain on the air. She didn’t pay attention to where her feet took her, content to wander the grounds of the base.</p><p>Anxiety nipped at the nape of her neck as she walked. She had agreed with Abigail and Tally about not keeping the truth from Anacostia. Still, there was a worry in the back of her mind that it had been the wrong call. Sergeant Quartermaine was so close to Alder… what if they had made the wrong decision? What if they had just played directly into Alder’s hand?</p><p>Why was it so hard to trust?</p><p>Raelle followed one of the winding walking paths, before veering off into the grass. The leaves rustled in the trees around her, as a gentle breeze wafted through. The smell of rain was getting stronger, and Raelle expected it would start at any time. But she wasn’t ready to go back to Circe.</p><p>She came upon the old elm tree that she and Scylla liked to meet under and saw that someone was already there. There was a figure sitting under the tree, back against the rough bark. Raelle didn’t have to guess who it was.</p><p>After lingering for only a moment, Raelle approached. She stepped on fallen leaves and twigs, making sure her presence was known. When Scylla looked up, she saw the necro’s face light up.</p><p>“Raelle.” Scylla started to get up, but stopped as she realized Raelle was coming to her.</p><p>The soldier walked over and sat down on Scylla’s right. “Told you I’d come find you,” she said. “Thought you ditched the military get-up.”</p><p>Scylla was dressed in BDU bottoms and a black t-shirt, obviously given to her by the military. “They want us to blend in better,” she explained. “That way they won’t have to explain why supposed civilians are on base if anyone comes looking for answers.”</p><p>Raelle nodded as she looked at her hands, fidgeting where she had them rested atop her bent knees. She heard the patter of light rain begin to fall around them, but the tree’s crown was so thick, the pair stayed perfectly dry. There were so many things she wanted to say to Scylla, but… not a single word made it out of her mouth. </p><p>“Are you okay?” Scylla asked gently, as if Raelle would break if she spoke without such care.</p><p>“Yes,” was Raelle’s immediate answer. She waited a beat before amending herself, “No.” For someone so used to taking care of herself, taking care of others, the prospect of not being able to protect herself bothered her. She trusted her unit, of course, but that had taken a lot of time to build. She wanted to trust Anacostia.</p><p>She still wanted to trust Scylla.</p><p>But she didn’t know if she could.</p><p>“What can I do?” Scylla questioned.</p><p>Raelle could feel those beautiful blue eyes on her and knew they were full of concern. She also knew that if she looked up into them, her resolve would crumble. If they were going to rebuild what they had, then they needed to start with a fresh, more sound foundation.</p><p>Before she thought better of it, Raelle offered Scylla her left hand. Of course, Scylla took it without hesitation. As Raelle laced their fingers together, she wondered if she wanted to rebuild what they’d had. Did Scylla? Could they even have it back?</p><p>As if knowing what Raelle was thinking, Scylla spoke quietly, “I love you.”</p><p>Raelle moved, leaning toward Scylla and resting her head on the necro’s shoulder. Their hands remained together. “I know,” she replied. It sent a pang through her heart. “I still love you, too, even if it hurts.”</p><p>“Tell me how to make it not hurt,” Scylla requested, squeezing Raelle’s hand.</p><p>Raelle closed her eyes, letting the sound of rain and Scylla’s presence soothe away her worries. “No more lies, Scyl. No more secrets.” It was the only place that they could start. Raelle wasn’t even sure she could reconcile that Scylla was Spree, it was a tough pill to swallow. If she was going to try, they had to start somewhere.</p><p>Nowhere better to start than the truth.</p><p>Only the light patter of raindrops filled the air around them for a long moment. “Then… I have something to tell you. Something important,” Scylla announced. Her free hand lifted, tucking a finger beneath Raelle’s chin to make the blonde look at her. “The person that I’ve been working for in the Spree – I didn’t know who it was at first. I didn’t know until I escaped Fort Salem and went to meet her. You need to know…”</p><p>A crease formed between Raelle’s brows. “Know what? Who was it?”</p><p>“It’s… it’s your mom, Raelle. Willa Collar.”</p><p>It felt like the ground fell out from underneath her. Raelle didn’t know if she believed Scylla. When she looked in Scylla’s eyes, though, Raelle saw nothing but the truth.</p><p>“Wh- what?” Raelle asked.</p><p>“No more secrets, no more lies,” Scylla promised. “When I went to meet with the Spree that had been contacting me, it wasn’t the person that I had expected. When I got to the safe house, she told me that I was supposed to bring you, her daughter, to her.”</p><p>The world tilted on its axis as Raelle let go of Scylla’s hand and stumbled to her feet. Her steps were unsteady, but that didn’t slow her down. She knew which building the Spree had taken up residence in. </p><p>“Raelle! <em>Raelle!</em>” she heard Scylla yelling after her.</p><p>But she didn’t stop. Raelle never even ran so fast trying to make it from Scylla’s dorm to her own in time for inspection. Though it still felt like the world was spinning uncontrollably beneath her, she couldn’t, wouldn’t stop. If Scylla was telling the truth, she had to know.</p><p>Raelle burst into the building, the door slamming open ahead of her. Maybe she should have asked where, exactly, her mother was, but… that option was out the window. So she settled for half-jogging, half-walking the halls. Her feet had seemed to know where she wanted to go up to this point, maybe she would get where she needed to.</p><p>As she approached a meeting room that had its door slightly ajar, Raelle froze mid-step. There was a voice coming from inside it. She <em>knew</em> that voice. Hurried steps took her forward and she threw the door the rest of the way open. There were a handful of people inside, and at the center of the group…</p><p>“Raelle,” Willa gasped.</p><p>The blonde’s eyes went wide. “Mama,” she whispered.</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>Abigail followed one of the Intelligence officers through the halls of the administration building. It was the first time that her mom had called for her, since she’d been back on base. While she knew that her mom was a busy woman, she had thought they would have had a reunion sooner than this.</p><p>The officer opened the door and moved out of the way so Abigail could walk inside. Her posture was perfect as she stepped into her mother’s office, hands folded behind her back as she came to attention in front of the desk.</p><p>Petra’s face was stern, relief to see her daughter only an afterthought. “I’m glad to see you’re alive and well,” she told Abigail. “I was distraught at the thought my daughter was gone, and the first in the Bellweather line to fall not even a week out of Basic.”</p><p>Abigail’s jaw tightened as she fought to control her emotions – to hide them. “I wouldn’t let you down like that, ma’am,” she shook her head.</p><p>“Good,” Petra nodded, leaning back in her chair. She visually appraised Abigail, and the soldier knew that her mother was looking for any signs of weakness. “What happened in China?”</p><p>For once, Abigail wasn’t completely sure that she could trust her mother. She remembered what happened last time she and her unit confided in the general. She remembered how badly it backfired, what it had led to. And now, now that her sister’s well-being was at stake… she wouldn’t let anyone turn Raelle into a weapon. Not if she could help it.</p><p>And considering the way their last go around with her mother turned out, she could practically see General Bellweather taking the information and using it to her advantage.</p><p>“It’s all in the report,” Abigail answered dutifully. “We didn’t leave anything out.”</p><p>“I’ve read the report. I want to hear it from you.”</p><p>“We were ambushed by the Camarilla. Collar went to retrieve a Tarim boy that was afraid and ran from the bat, I went to cover her. She handed the boy to me and as I got him back to the bat, she was stabbed. I Windstruck the Camarilla agent and ran back to Link with her, to save her. I couldn’t get her back to the bat and the rest of the company had to leave. Collar and I ended up passing out on the ground. We woke up sometime the next morning – I didn’t think the Link had worked, but I guess it did.” This was the first time Abigail could ever remember so boldly lying to her mother. But she did it firmly, without hesitation, and maintained eye contact the entire time.</p><p>Petra was quiet after Abigail recounted the story for her. Abigail was certain that she had listened for inconsistencies in what she said, compared to what was in the report. “Tell me about the witchbomb,” finally Petra spoke again.</p><p>And there it was: what Abigail had been afraid of. Everyone wanted to get their hands on that power, and her mother was no different. “It’s the same as we told General Alder directly, neither one of us knows what happened after we lost consciousness. When we woke up, I knew we had to get to the military base to get home.”</p><p>Petra leaned forward, clasping her hands atop her desk. “Did you or Collar create the witchbomb?” she pressed.</p><p>“Mom… I don’t know,” Abigail shook her head. “Anyone else’s guess is as good as mine.”</p><p>“No, it’s not,” Petra countered. “You were there, in that moment. You have to know something.”</p><p>“Like I said, Collar and I were both unconscious. We didn’t even know there had been an explosion until we came home and they told us about it, ma’am,” Abigail remained steadfast in her story.</p><p>“Very well.” Petra’s tone was tinged with disappointment.</p><p>“Request to be dismissed, ma’am. My unit resumes training tomorrow. I need to get them ready.” Abigail didn’t want to give her mother a chance to figure out that something was amiss here. She needed to focus on getting answers for her and her sisters, before anyone could use it against them.</p><p>Petra nodded. “Dismissed. We’ll talk again soon.”</p><p>Abigail gave her mother a respectful nod before turning and marching out of the office. She needed to warn Raelle and Tally that Alder wasn’t the only one that they needed to be on guard over. Her mother was on their trail, too, and as Head of Intelligence, Petra was good at gathering information.</p><p>They needed to be ready for anything that came at them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry, not sorry for that cliffhanger. I've gotta keep everyone hooked somehow!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which a storm rages inside and out, and the unit's alliance grows in size.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Outside, the rain clouds began to darken, and the wind picked up. Rain fell harder, faster, and lightning split open the sky. The gathering storm outside matched exactly what Raelle felt inside.</p><p>The meeting room had been cleared out, save for Raelle and Willa. The world still rocked and spun dangerously around the soldier. She felt unstable, like a ship at sea, pitching in a category five hurricane. Everything she had known – had thought she’d known – was suddenly upended.</p><p>“How is this possible?” Raelle asked. “They said you died – that they had to chip you out from where the sand on that beach turned to glass.”</p><p>“They said you died, too,” Willa pointed out. “But here you are.”</p><p>Thunder rolled outside, as Raelle’s heart beat faster in her chest. Now was not the time to make comparisons like that. Not when she wanted, needed answers. “That’s not the same,” she snapped. “And you know it. You’ve been alive this whole time? You’ve been <em>Spree</em>?”</p><p>“Raelle, honey, you have to understand,” Willa tried to reason with her daughter. “Everything I’ve done has been to protect you.”</p><p>“How could you do that to me? To Pop?” Raelle ranted. The mention of her father actually made her more angry. He still thought Willa was dead. A year’s worth of pain and sorrow could have been avoided. “How are you still doing this to him?”</p><p>“I was trying to protect you,” Willa repeated. She moved around the table that she’d been standing at to close some of the distance between them.</p><p>“How? How could pretending to be dead and joining the Spree protect me? How does killing innocent civilians protect me?” Raelle balled her fists at her sides.</p><p>“I didn’t want this to be your life,” her mother explained. “I want to put an end to conscription, to witches being forced to fight and die for people that don’t deserve it. I wanted to save you from all this pain.”</p><p>The thunder rumbled closer to the building. “<em>How</em> could thinking my mom was dead save me from any amount of pain? You let us think you were dead for a year! Do you know what that does to someone?”</p><p>Willa seemed to realize that the storm outside wasn’t just a force of nature as Raelle’s voice rose in volume. There was turmoil in her daughter’s blue eyes, emotions raging and fueling her surroundings. “Raelle, honey, I need you to calm down,” she tried to placate.</p><p>That only made Raelle more upset. She’d be angry if she wanted to – Willa had no right to tell her how she needed to act or feel. “And I needed my mom,” she shot right back. “But my mom died. I don’t know who you are, because you’re not the woman I remember. The woman I remember would never have hurt me and Pop like that, she wouldn’t have joined the Spree.”</p><p>“Raelle,” Willa pleaded. She stepped forward to put her hand on Raelle’s arm.</p><p>But the soldier recoiled from the touch as if it burned her even through her jacket, backing up several steps. “<em>No!</em>” she shouted, her voice distorted. The whole building shook as thunder cracked so close, it could have been inside.</p><p>Suddenly, there was a hand around Raelle’s. “Hey, hey,” Scylla’s soothing voice cut through the fury. “It’s okay. Come on, let’s go take a breath.” She gave Raelle a gentle pull, but the blonde was steadfast in her stare down with Willa. Scylla put her other hand over top the one that was already in hers. “Rae… come with me. Please.”</p><p>Raelle had so much more anger to vent at her mother – a year’s worth of emotional turmoil that wanted to be let out. But, Scylla’s presence helped dull that fury, made it easier for her to remember that they were trying to keep her from being turned into a weapon. And if Alder found out the storm was her doing… </p><p>Inch by inch, she let Scylla pull her away, though her fearsome gaze remained locked on her mother’s. She wanted Willa to know this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. There was still so much for them to settle, but it could wait until she’d calmed down.</p><p>As they left the meeting room, Scylla guided Raelle towards the main door so that they could leave. However, she stopped short, seeing that it was still pouring down rain outside. She turned to face Raelle, who was unfocused and lost in her emotions. “Raelle, hey,” she tried to get the blonde’s attention. “Look at me. It’s okay.”</p><p>Raelle frowned as she was drawn out of her thoughts, focusing her attention on Scylla. She shook her head, “How could she do that?”</p><p>“I know it’s hard,” Scylla told her. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”</p><p>Raelle let Scylla pull her outside, into the rain that had only let up a little. The thunder and lightning had given up, thankfully, but they were going to get soaked. The cool rain brought some clarity to Raelle, and she tightened her grip on Scylla’s hand. “Come with me.”</p><p>She took the lead as they walked the grounds, steering them back toward Circe barracks. If Scylla was uncomfortable with their destination, she didn’t let it show. Raelle took them inside the barracks building, and to her dorm. </p><p>Tally and Abigail were both inside and they looked up when the door opened. It looked like Tally had been reading and Abigail was hunched over the desk doing something. However, both were on their feet when Scylla came in the room behind Raelle. Abigail approached the pair, a fierce look in her eye.</p><p>“Bells, don’t,” Raelle sighed.</p><p>“Ah-ah, this is between me and Necro,” Abigail stated. She maneuvered Raelle out of her way so she could come up toe-to-toe with Scylla. “If you hurt Raelle again… I will <strong><em>end</em> </strong>you. Understand?”</p><p>“You are loud and clear, High Atlantic,” Scylla nodded.</p><p>Raelle rolled her eyes, taking Scylla’s hand again and pulling her the rest of the way into the room. Honestly, that little confrontation went a lot better than she had expected it to. Especially considering Abigail had threatened to punch Scylla in the face if they saw each other again.</p><p>“Looks like you two got caught in that crazy storm,” Tally observed, friendly as she could be as she sat back down. “It was barely even supposed to rain. I wonder what happened.”</p><p>“Raelle happened,” Scylla informed them, sitting down next to the blonde soldier on her bunk.</p><p>Abigail and Tally shared a look, then both looked at Raelle. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Abigail pressed.</p><p>Raelle pursed her lips, not ready to talk about it. But, Scylla had let it slip and she had promised Abigail and Tally that they wouldn’t have any more secrets. “My mom’s alive,” she stated.</p><p>“What?” her unit sisters asked at the same time.</p><p>“Spree. My mom is Spree,” Raelle clarified. “She didn’t die in Liberia like I thought, like she let everyone believe. She’s Spree. She’s the one that Scylla was working for.”</p><p>“You knew her mom was alive?” Tally asked, swinging her gaze over at Scylla.</p><p>“No. No,” Scylla answered quickly, shaking her head. “I didn’t know until after I escaped the base and went to meet her at a safe house.”</p><p>“How <em>did</em> you escape?” Abigail questioned. That was one thing they hadn’t been able to put together yet.</p><p>Scylla glanced at Raelle, uncertainty in her eyes. Raelle reached over and put a hand on Scylla’s knee. “We have to be able to trust each other, Scylla.”</p><p>The necro nodded, but was still obviously hesitant. “It, um… it was Anacostia,” she finally admitted. “She let me go, helped me stage the escape, gave me back my lighter so I could use a Glamor to get out. She wanted me to go back to the Spree, feed her information about their operations. She doesn’t trust the military anymore, and I… well, I had my own reasons for wanting to find some middle ground.”</p><p>The unit all looked at one another after the admission. “Anacostia didn’t mention that to us,” Raelle pointed out.</p><p>“But, if she doesn’t trust the military – doesn’t trust Alder anymore… she’s got to be on our side,” Tally reasoned. “I mean… Alder hasn’t burst in here to drag you out and turn you into a weapon yet, Rae. If Anacostia told her everything, they’d have already come for you.”</p><p>“Wait, what does that mean?” Scylla asked, sounding surprised.</p><p>Raelle shrugged, “The witchbomb that happened in China. Maybe they didn’t tell you guys about it. Alder wants to turn it into a weapon.”</p><p>“And so does my mom,” Abigail chipped in.</p><p>“What… is a witchbomb?” Scylla pressed. It sounded fairly self-explanatory, but surely there had to more to it, didn’t there?</p><p>“I don’t actually remember it,” Raelle shook her head.</p><p>“I saw it,” Tally offered. She looked down at her hands for a moment – recounting what she saw happen to Raelle and Abigail was difficult. “I was in the bat with Alder. Abigail and Raelle were on the ground, and I just… I knew. As the bat got in the air, I saw a light between them, then there was an explosion. If Bridey hadn’t gotten us as far off the ground as we already were, it probably would have taken us down. The explosion killed the rest of the Camarilla that were still on the ground. There was a lot of black debris in the air afterward. None of us knew what happened.”</p><p>Raelle lifted a hand, soothing the scar over her heart. She would have preferred that their ‘hey, remember the time you died?’ talks not bother her. But, maybe that was unrealistic. When she glanced up, Scylla’s eyes were zeroed in on the spot she rubbed, before meeting her gaze. “It’s alright,” Raelle tried to be reassuring.</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>After leaving the Bellweather unit, Anacostia marched across the base to the Necro building. Research and classes never seemed to end for Necros, which meant that Izadora wasn’t immediately available. Still, Anacostia let herself into the sergeant’s office to wait. This was something they needed to talk about as soon as possible. Whatever time they wasted gave Alder the chance to figure everything out before them.</p><p>And she’d be damned if one of her soldiers got used in such a cruel, inhumane fashion.</p><p>She waited about fifteen minutes before the door opened and Izadora stepped inside. “Oh, Anacostia,” she was clearly surprised. “Did we… have a meeting?”</p><p>“No, but we do need to talk,” Anacostia answered, sitting up straighter in the chair across from Izadora’s desk. “It is important, and it is <em>very</em> sensitive.”</p><p>The tone she used made Izadora’s eyes widen just a bit. The sergeant turned back toward the door, drawing a sigil over the knob, before walking over to her desk. “Alright, I’m intrigued. What’s going on?”</p><p>“Before I say anything, I need to know you are with me on this, Iz,” Anacostia told the other woman. They’d both aired grievances about Alder between one another, she was certain that she could trust the Necro sergeant. “I need to know that not a single word spoken here will make it to Sarah’s ear.”</p><p>There was a short bout of silence, the full weight of the situation settling on Izadora’s conscious. “<em>So I speak it, so it shall be,</em>” she swore, her voice slightly distorted. It was a pact sealed by work, something nearly impossible to break and an assurance for Sergeant Quartermaine that she could speak in confidence without fear.</p><p>Anacostia licked her lips and took a deep breath. It still felt so strange to go behind Alder’s back, but right now she was too unsure of the general’s ambitions. “This has to do with the Bellweather unit,” she began. “And the witchbomb that was created in China.”</p><p>“They know more about what happened than they’re letting on, don’t they?” Izadora questioned. “Smart girls.”</p><p>Anacostia nodded. “Alder wants to turn it into a weapon, of course. I’m sure General Bellweather isn’t far behind on that front either. I won’t let that happen to them.”</p><p>“Okay. What can I do?” It was much easier to get Izadora on board than Quartermaine had expected.</p><p>“Collar lied, when she told you that she hadn’t touched the mycelium,” Anacostia said bluntly. “When she was down here looking for Scylla and found the mycelium instead, she touched it.”</p><p>Izadora’s eyes went wide. “I told her not to touch it.”</p><p>“I think it was a little late for that, by that point,” Anacostia gave a faint shake of her head. “Collar is nothing if not reckless. What would touching the mycelium have done to her?”</p><p>“An exchange of DNA, first off. In touching the mycelium, it gave her some of its DNA, and took some of hers in return,” Izadora explained. “It could have killed her… but, now she will have a kind of Link to it forever.”</p><p>“Collar said that she touched it before she fixed Khalida – that girl’s recovery was no miracle. That was Collar’s doing. Rather than taking on some of the plague herself, she said it went somewhere else. Do you think the mycelium had something to do with that?” Anacostia questioned.</p><p>Izadora thought back to hearing about Khalida’s recovery. That morning, strange black tendrils had formed inside the mycelium. “The mycelium took on the illness, instead of Raelle,” she realized. </p><p>“Collar said the same thing happened with Craven’s broken leg, and also a Tarim boy that had the plague as well,” Anacostia informed the other sergeant. </p><p>“Hmm. These ailments must be passing through her and to the mycelium through their Link,” Izadora hypothesized. “She already had an excellent natural ability, very strong work inside her. With her link to the mycelium…”</p><p>“Could this have anything to do with the witchbomb?” This was the heart of the conversation that Anacostia wanted them to get to. If they could understand how it happened themselves, then they could keep Alder from getting to the truth. They could keep Raelle and the rest of the unit safe.</p><p>“An interesting theory,” the sergeant admitted thoughtfully. “There is a kind of exchange when we do our work. The weather work our blasters do can disrupt weather patterns in the rest of the world. Collar, herself, would take on an ailment that she was fixing for someone else. It is possible that the mycelium is bypassing that immediate reaction, holding in that exchange until she needs a powerful burst of it as is the case for the witchbomb. We would need to study the Link to know for sure.”</p><p>“General Alder is having several samples of mushrooms brought in from China, from the area where the witchbomb exploded. Could those come back around to the mycelium?” If there was any way that this could get back to Bellweather unit, she wanted to head it off as quickly and efficiently as possible.</p><p>“Now that is entirely possible,” Izadora regretfully confirmed. “If she puts me in charge of studying the samples, I will be able to head her off in that regard. If she realizes what Raelle can do now… she’ll use her up until there’s nothing left.” The mycelium would also be in danger, because despite all her time studying it, Izadora had no idea how much it could handle.</p><p>“Going behind Sarah’s back is going to be dangerous,” Anacostia warned. “I know Scylla was… is, Spree, but we both saw what happened to her. I think the prison in Saint Dominique will be the least of our worries if she finds out.”</p><p>Izadora leaned forward. “I said that I was with you on this, Anacostia. I am. I knew the risks the moment you said it was sensitive. If I can help you and those girls, I’m going to.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the air gets cleared, and the first mission to stop a Camarilla sect is planned.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been two weeks since the Bellweather unit returned to training. There had been a shift in training since the China incident. Hand-to-hand combat was pushed just as hard as military canon, because of the Camarilla’s use of vocal disablers. Military brass was still trying to figure out a way around those disablers, so training gained a new focus: not being able to use their voices. </p><p>Having been in a live combat mission already seemed to give Raelle, Tally, and Abigail an edge on the rest of the company. Tally’s ability to handle a scourge had even gotten better by leaps and bounds. She attributed it to her short time as a Biddy. Not only had she gotten a glimpse into some of Alder’s memories, but she picked up a thing or two about handling herself in combat. </p><p>Training didn’t just include their company anymore, either. Other soldiers from around base and occasionally officers dropped in as well. Alder demanded that everyone be at the very peak of their performance. This was going to be a war unlike any they had waged yet. If they were going to beat an enemy like the Camarilla, it was going to be everyone’s responsibility to give everything that they could in the fight.</p><p>A particularly long day of training left Raelle tired and sore. Full contact drills could be brutal.</p><p>“Did you see Treefine’s face when I pinned her?” Tally asked gleefully, walking between Raelle and Abigail.</p><p>“It was priceless,” Abigail answered, throwing an arm around Tally’s shoulders. “I will remember it for the rest of my life.”</p><p>“I think you’ve lost your position as most arrogant High Atlantic in the company, Bellweather,” Raelle laughed. “Pretty sure Treefine takes the cake now.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, I’d take being grounded with my sisters over High Atlantic royalty any day,” Abigail informed them. The trio might have had a rough start of it, but now it was hard to imagine them being apart. They were stronger together, there was no doubt about that.</p><p>They went from training in the rough room straight to Mess for dinner. It was later than usual for their last meal of the day. But the longer days leading into July gave them more time for training. At least, that was what Anacostia kept telling them. More daylight, more time for training.</p><p>At this rate, they were going to burn out in training before they ever faced the Camarilla again.</p><p>The TV in the mess hall played a late hour news program. The anchor was talking about how the Spree had been unusually quiet the past few weeks. There was speculation that President Wade – tired of the military’s inaction – had put together an elite task force to deal with the matter. No mention was made of the Camarilla, nor the witches that were being attacked and killed around the world. The soldiers knew it was happening, though. Nearly every other day they caught wind of another attack.</p><p>The Church had yet to condemn the attacks by the Camarilla, too.</p><p>“Let them think what they want,” Abigail said when she saw how disheartened Tally got over the story.</p><p>“They only want us around when we’re fighting and dying for them,” Raelle shook her head.</p><p>“We have to stay focused,” Abigail reminded the pair. “Don’t let the background noise distract you. We know firsthand what we’re up against – better than anyone else in this building or on this base. We stay focused, we take care of each other, right?”</p><p>Tally nodded, “You’re right.”</p><p>Raelle picked up her tray to get rid of. “I’ll meet you guys back at the dorm later,” she told them.</p><p>“Going to get some <em>air</em>?” Tally asked teasingly.</p><p>Raelle didn’t dignify the question with a response. She merely rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stood. It was enough of an answer for Abigail and Tally, though, as she could hear them laughing quietly after her.</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>Scylla was trying to be patient, she really was. In two weeks, though, she had seen Raelle barely a handful of times. Hope had sparked when Raelle took her to the unit’s dorm after the confrontation with Willa. Maybe they were back on the right track.</p><p>Then, Raelle went back to training and they didn’t get many chances to see one another. Not like before everyone found out she was Spree, when Raelle would have moved heaven and earth to make time for her. Even when they did see one another, it felt like Raelle kept her at arm’s length no matter how close they were physically.</p><p>Scylla understood, at least to a point. She had hurt Raelle, betrayed her trust. That had to be earned back. It was hard, though.</p><p>She could be patient. She had to be.</p><p>“Hey.” The unexpected greeting jarred Scylla out of her thoughts.</p><p>“Hi,” she replied as Raelle came and took a seat next to her under the elm tree. It was a spot that Scylla liked to be, a place where good memories – now with a bittersweet tang to them – could be enjoyed.</p><p>“I don’t think it’s very fair that you guys don’t have to train like we do,” Raelle commented with a faint grin.</p><p>“Yeah, I don’t think anyone would find any reason to hold back on us in <em>training</em>,” Scylla pointed out. Tensions were still running high in Fort Salem with Spree operatives on base. The insults might have died down a little, but that didn’t mean the military was happy to be working with their decades old enemy.</p><p>Raelle thought about it before nodding. “Okay, fair point,” she agreed. “So, what do you do during the day?”</p><p>“There’s some intelligence gathering going on behind the scenes,” Scylla answered. “They’re trying to figure out where the Camarilla could be working from here in the States. There hasn’t been a lot of activity here since the Bellweather attack.”</p><p>It was concerning, she agreed with their superiors on that. The Camarilla were fully operational overseas, though they only grabbed a few witches at a time. The attack on American soil had been much larger than that. Scylla worried that the quiet now was just the calm before the storm.</p><p>“Are you part of that?” Raelle asked, reaching over and picking up Scylla’s hand to hold. “Intelligence gathering?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Scylla nodded, making Raelle look up at her in surprise. “We’re good at hiding and blending in. I go out, blend in, and listen for anything concerning. There are pockets of civilians known for being outspoken against witches. That’s where we go to see if there’s any recruitment being attempted, or any plans being made.”</p><p>Raelle made an indistinct noise as she looked back down at their joined hands. Even though they were resting against one another as they sat, hands together and fingers intertwined, Scylla still felt a wall between them. It was stronger than any stone wall on base, and Raelle was hiding behind it to keep from being hurt again.</p><p>“Scyl,” Raelle looked up again to meet her eyes. Scylla could see conflict there, Raelle was torn about something.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Scylla reassured the soldier, thumb rubbing against Raelle’s hand.</p><p>“Were you… did you ever carry out any of the attacks on civilians?”</p><p>Ah, that was why Raelle was so torn. She was afraid of the answer that she might get. Scylla knew that this conversation was going to happen at some point, whether she liked it or not.</p><p>“I was supposed to,” Scylla admitted. “The first Spree organizer that I met tasked me with the mall attack on Conscription Day. That was how Anacostia got Baylord Auto. But, before I got there, I got a message that there was a change of plans. They needed me to recruit a first-year cadet to the cause, instead. They said someone else was going to take over, and that I just needed to return to Fort Salem, make sure no one suspected anything. So, that’s what I did.”</p><p>Raelle was quiet for a time, her attention focused on their hands. “When was I not just a mark anymore?” she asked softly – so softly, in fact, that Scylla almost didn’t hear her.</p><p>The question made Scylla’s heart hurt. “It was a quick transition,” she told Raelle, squeezing the blonde’s hand.</p><p>There was another bout of silence between them. “You know… I died in China – brief as it was,” Raelle told her.</p><p>“Rae, I-“</p><p>But the blonde didn’t let Scylla interrupt, “-I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to go, knowing the awful things that I said to you were going to be the last. Everything still stopped though, everything went black. But after that… I heard your voice. It pulled me back.” </p><p>Scylla felt the back of her throat begin to burn. “You are an unstoppable force, Raelle Collar,” she stated. “Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise. You are so much more powerful than any of them know.”</p><p>“So what does that make you?” Raelle asked, finally looking up at her again. “An immovable object?”</p><p>“You moved me,” Scylla replied sincerely.</p><p>“Ha,” Raelle let out a faint laugh. “I might have changed your mind on a thing or two, but you’re still right here. Unmoved.” Raelle lifted her free hand, cupping Scylla’s cheek oh so gently. “You’re so beautiful.”</p><p>When their lips met in a chaste kiss, Scylla wasn’t sure if she tasted salt from Raelle’s tears or her own.</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>Alder sat in the war room with the generals; the Spree would be joining them soon. Though it wasn’t common knowledge, there had been a great deal of work going on behind the scenes the past two weeks. They were working on tracking down Camarilla leads, trying to find pockets of their enemies to eliminate. </p><p>It was easier to pinpoint said enemies back in the day when they carried torches and pitchforks.</p><p>“How did the meeting with The Hague go?” Petra Bellweather broke the tense silence in the room.</p><p>Sarah nearly scoffed. The last time they talked about The Hague, Petra had made sure she knew that the general had informants inside The Hague as well. Rather than picking a fight, though, she offered up an answer. “It went well. The Hague has agreed to as much of an international ceasefire as we can manage. The Camarilla are showing up in conflict zones, taking advantage of the fact that we are fighting each other to kill witches on both sides. To combat this, troops in non-critical areas are being called home.”</p><p>“And what about an international alliance to combat the Camarilla?” General Clary questioned.</p><p>“Unlikely, at this point,” Alder shook her head. “Understandably, the other leaders are concerned about their own militaries. As of yet, we have not suffered the same attacks that they have within their own countries.”</p><p>“Except for my family line,” Petra pointed out. “It’s only a matter of time before something worse happens. What are we doing to prevent it?”</p><p>As if right on cue, the door to the war room opened and Willa Collar, along with a couple other Spree, entered.</p><p>“Through intelligence gathering spearheaded by Willa and her operatives, we have been able to locate a small Camarilla sect not far from here. It’s just outside of Boston,” Alder announced. “With the information they have gathered, we will send a unit to take out the sect and gather any intelligence that may be within this base of operation. We hope to find correspondence there, between them and others within the Camarilla network.”</p><p>“Finally, some headway,” Petra nodded approvingly.</p><p>“And which unit will we be sending? Perhaps Lieutenant Purpoint and her unit?” Clary suggested.</p><p>“While Purpoint is very capable, I have decided on someone else.” Alder looked at Petra, then at Willa. “The Bellweather unit will be heading this mission. The Spree may send along one of their operatives, if you want to ensure that you have eyes on the happenings as well.”</p><p>Petra was immediately on her feet, hands on the table. “Sarah, you have already put Abigail in danger once,” she protested.</p><p>“The decision has been made, General Bellweather,” Alder stated firmly as the Biddies briefly hissed in unison behind her. “Your daughter and her unit have firsthand experience with the Camarilla, they know what to expect. Assuming the intelligence we got is correct, there are less than half a dozen Camarilla at the location.” She glanced over at Willa, perking a brow.</p><p>“The intelligence is good,” Willa nodded.</p><p>And if it wasn’t, then she was putting her daughter directly in danger. Alder needed to make sure that Willa and the Spree were feeding them good information. If Raelle was capable of being deployed to act on that information, she was sure Willa would be more cooperative.</p><p>“I’ll send one of my own,” Willa added through grit teeth. She knew what Alder’s angle was in this matter. “Since you so graciously extended the offer.”</p><p>“Then it is settled,” Alder determined. “Willa, you can inform your operative, and I will have Sergeant Quartermaine inform the Bellweather unit that they will move out at 0800.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, I am in the camp that is unsure about Scylla being Mall Girl in the show. For the sake of this story, I am going with her not being Mall Girl out of personal preference and for narrative reasons.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the Bellweather unit comes up against the Camarilla again.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Yeah, Pop, I’ll stay safe, promise,” Raelle spoke into the phone. “It’s just a quick mission, nothing major. Don’t even have to leave the States… No, you won’t get a call like that again. I promise. Listen, I gotta go, we’re heading out in ten… Yeah, I love you, too, old man. I’ll call you when I get back.”</p><p>She hung up the phone and took a steadying breath. Every time she called her father the past couple weeks, she wanted to tell him about Willa. But it didn’t seem fair to drop something like that on him over the phone. In fact, it didn’t seem fair to shatter the illusion at all. Losing her mom had left her dad devastated.</p><p>And now… Raelle was serious when she said that she didn’t know the woman claiming to be her mother. The woman that she knew to be her mother was kind, caring, always trying to help people. The woman she knew never would have joined the Spree and killed innocent people.</p><p>Raelle sniffed once, rubbing her nose, before checking her watch. “Shit.” She got up from the chair stationed by the phone in the rec room and jogged out. Had she not already been in her uniform, she would have been running way too late.</p><p>As it was, she only barely got to the dorm before Tally and Abigail were ready to walk out.</p><p>“Late as usual, Collar,” Abigail affectionately teased.</p><p>“Hey, I made it back in time,” Raelle defended herself.</p><p>“Ladies,” Sergeant Quartermaine called out as she came down the hall. “It’s time to move. The Spree are sending one of their operatives along as well. You’d think they don’t trust us to share whatever is found.”</p><p>“No, no, no,” Abigail shook her head. “It’s bad enough Alder is sending us out to do this. We have to deal with having Spree with us, too?”</p><p>“You do,” Anacostia confirmed. “Sergeant Bridey will be heading up your transport. You’ll be traveling in a civilian vehicle in order to blend in. This is not a situation to drop in from the air. You will recon the Camarilla operations base, then move in and eliminate all threats within. Any correspondence or information about other Camarilla cells you can find is to be retrieved.”</p><p>“Understood,” Bellweather affirmed. </p><p>“I told Alder she turned us into murderers,” Tally complained.</p><p>Raelle reached out and placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard, Tal,” she comforted. “But these people? You saw what they did to the pilots in China. That could have been us, it could still be us. If we don’t stop them, then everyone on this base could be at risk.”</p><p>Tally didn’t look totally convinced, but she did nod her understanding.</p><p>“Time’s wasting, ladies,” Anacostia informed them, turning on her heel to lead them down the hall. “I expect all three of you to come back in one piece, and at the appropriate age.”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am,” the three soldiers spoke in unison.</p><p>As they stepped outside Circe barracks, they saw Bridey waiting next to an SUV. Abigail and Tally gave Raelle a knowing look when they saw who else would be joining them. However, Raelle’s eyes widened.</p><p>She took the steps to the barracks two at a time until she bounced to the landing. Quick steps took her across the pavement until she was close enough to place her hands on Scylla’s arms. “What are you doing?” she asked quietly. “This is too dangerous; you need to stay here.”</p><p>“It’s too dangerous for me, but not for you?” Scylla asked with a disbelieving look. “I don’t think so.”</p><p>“Scyl-“</p><p>“-Raelle, I’m coming whether you like it or not,” Scylla stated. “Everything has already been finalized.”</p><p>“Come on, Collar. Necro. Time to move out,” Abigail told them as she walked past them to get into the vehicle.</p><p>“Let’s go,” Scylla told her with a grin that might as well have shouted ‘I won’ from the mountain tops.</p><p>Raelle huffed out a breath, grumbling a complaint beneath her breath. She didn’t want Scylla putting herself in this kind of danger, but it was done now as they all got into the vehicle. Only when they were pulling away from the barracks building did it settle in how strange this all felt.</p><p>They were enacting a military mission, on American soil, going after civilians. Granted, they were dangerous, violent civilians, but still. It seemed everyone was feeling it, given the looks on their faces. </p><p>This wasn’t like China. This was something else. This kind of mission was for the military's covert ops, not a few corporals out on their second mission and a Spree operative.</p><p>The two-hour drive from Fort Salem to near the Assabet River wildlife refuge was spent mostly in silence. There was an unspoken anxiety in the vehicle. The soldiers weren’t sure what to expect, beyond the fact that they were going to come face to face with more Camarilla. </p><p>“Your drop off point is approaching,” Bridey announced. “I will still be close enough that if you signal for help, I will be able to get to you.”</p><p>“One-woman cavalry, that’s reassuring,” Scylla commented.</p><p>“Trust me, if all we get is one person, we want it to be Bridey,” Abigail assured her.</p><p>The vehicle came to a stop and Bridey turned in her seat. “You have until 1800 hours to make it back to the rendezvous point. Understood?”</p><p>“We’ll make it,” Abigail said confidently.</p><p>“And in one piece,” Bridey amended her requirement.</p><p>The soldiers exited the vehicle and watched it pull away to be taken to some cover while Bridey waited for them. “Alright, we’ve got a three-mile hike between us and the Camarilla safe house,” Abigail stated, taking charge. “When we get close enough, Tally will assess what we’re up against and we’ll formulate a plan from there.”</p><p>The four of them headed off into the woods, following the directions that had been given to them. They were each on high alert, attention darting around to every noise, every little rustle around them. Each soldier had a hand hovering over their scourge, and even Scylla looked just as tense. She wasn’t her easy-going self, for once.</p><p>It took nearly an hour and a half to hike the distance from their drop off point to their target location. Finally, though, the trees broke apart a bit and they could see a house beyond the tree line.</p><p>“Find cover,” Abigail whispered.</p><p>The four broke apart, each finding a spot where they wouldn’t be seen from the house beyond. Tally didn’t need instruction to start looking into what waited for them. Her eyes were open and unfocused as she used her gift of Seeing.</p><p>“There’s only one person inside,” she reported to the others.</p><p>“That’s not right,” Raelle pointed out quietly. “They said there would be four or five.”</p><p>“Shit,” Abigail swore.</p><p>“Why not just move in and take them out?” Scylla suggested. “One person wanting to kill us is a lot better than any other amount.”</p><p>“We do that, the others that come back are going to know that we got whatever information is in there,” Bellweather shook her head. “They’ll move everything before we ever get a chance to go through the information.”</p><p>“Then what are we going to do? Wait around and hope the others show up?” Raelle asked. It was bad enough they’d been sent on this mission in the first place. They had a tight window of time to accomplish their objective. They didn’t have the luxury of time to waste.</p><p>“Just give me a second,” Abigail hissed.</p><p>Raelle couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She understood that they needed to take out as many Camarilla agents as possible. At the same time, Bridey had orders to leave the rendezvous point at a certain time. It was a long walk back to Fort Salem from here.</p><p>Not as long of a walk as it was through the desert, but still. That wasn’t something Raelle wanted to repeat.</p><p>“Wait, hold on,” Tally suddenly spoke again, her head turning toward the west. A few moments later, they could hear an old truck rumbling along an overgrown path, heading toward the house. Three men stepped out, and their friend that stayed behind in the house came out to meet them.</p><p>“What was it?” the one that had stayed behind asked.</p><p>“Just some abandoned vehicle. Nobody around.”</p><p>“Musta broke down ‘n just started walkin’.”</p><p>The four witches shared a look, worried that it had been Bridey’s vehicle that the Camarilla found. If it was, it didn’t sound like the men had found her.</p><p>“Maybe go back out and check later,” the one on the porch told the others. “See if it gets picked up.” The other three grunted and grumbled their agreement as they headed up to the house. </p><p>As they went inside, Abigail looked at the other three. “Alright. Raelle, Necro, you two head around back. Tally and I will take the front. We go in quiet.”</p><p>Raelle shared a look with Scylla before they both nodded. “You two be careful, watch each other’s backs,” Raelle told her sisters before turning to head off with Scylla.</p><p>They stayed low and behind the tree line to move around the house. When the back door came into sight, they stopped for a moment. “Stay behind me,” Raelle told Scylla.</p><p>The suggestion made Scylla perk a brow. “You realize that just because I’m a necro doesn’t mean I’m defenseless, right?” she questioned.</p><p>Raelle sighed. “It would make me feel better.”</p><p>“I came along to help, to keep you safe,” Scylla said, placing a hand on Raelle’s shoulder. “Not to sit on the sidelines while you do all the work. I’m with you.”</p><p>Raelle reached up to place her hand over the one on her shoulder for just a moment, then nodded. They needed to get moving, so that Abigail and Tally weren’t left alone inside. Despite their conversation, Raelle led the way up to the house, putting herself squarely between it and Scylla. As they approached, she pulled out her scourge.</p><p>When they got to the door, Raelle carefully tested the knob. It was locked, so she drew a quick sigil over it with her pinky. She tried the handle again and the door fell open with a faint creak. She mentally cursed the squeaky thing, but no one came running to investigate.</p><p>Slowly, Raelle and Scylla worked their way inside. The room they entered looked like a mudroom – mostly storage. It was somewhere to come back to, as it looked like they had boxes of files and books back here. Raelle paused as she heard a voice in the next room.</p><p>“Yeah, we’ve got everything we need… We’ll be ready when you give us the call… Okay, we will stand by.” It sounded like the man was on the phone.</p><p>Before they could move into the next room, there was a shout toward the front of the house. They could hear wood scraping against wood from the next room, likely the man inside getting up from a chair. Scylla moved past Raelle without hesitation, leaving the blonde to quickly trail behind her into the room.</p><p>Scylla walked up to the man’s turned back, grabbing his shoulder as she leaned in, “<em>My friends are now my enemies</em>.” Raelle could only barely make out the words spoken, distorted by Work.</p><p>The man paused for a long moment, then moved forward brandishing a curved knife. Raelle and Scylla followed him as he charged into the front room of the house, watching as he went after another man trying to fend off Abigail and Tally. Rather than attacking the witches, the man that Scylla had influenced tackled his Camarilla buddy. The two hit the ground and the one with the knife proceeded to stab the other until he stopped moving.</p><p>Wide-eyed, Tally and Abigail both stared at Raelle and Scylla. There was no time for explanations, though, as Tally saw something. “The others are coming from upstairs!” she warned.</p><p>Raelle, whose back had been to the staircase, turned with her scourge at the ready. However, their temporary, unwilling Camarilla ally was back on his feet. His steps were scrambling as he got over to the stairs, taking on the first man he could get to. The two ended up falling down the steps, landing in a scuffle at the bottom.</p><p>That left one Camarilla agent for the witches to deal with. Since his buddies were in a rolling fist fight at the bottom of the flight of stairs, blocking his path, he elected to hop over the railing to get to the main floor. Though Abigail was drawing in a breath, likely for a Windstrike, Raelle made a quick spin and swung her scourge with all the might she could muster. The glowing end struck the man directly in the head, and he collapsed. He’d been far too close to her and Scylla for comfort – for her to stand by and do nothing.</p><p>They stayed at the ready as the Camarilla that Scylla had temporarily turned finished off the paranoid mission that she had given him. When the other man was dead, he stood up and looked around. Now that his comrades were all dead, the influence was wearing off.</p><p>His eyes widened as he fully realized what had happened. “Devil’s spawn!” he spat the insult before turning and dashing through the door behind himself.</p><p>Abigail was the first to run after him, Raelle hot on her heels. The man ran through several rooms, yanking at furniture and any object he could grab to throw between himself and the pursuing witches. Abigail tried to Windstrike him a couple of times, but he always managed to duck out of the way just in time.</p><p>Finally, the man seemed to get to whatever room he had in mind and threw the door shut behind him, locking it. As they came upon it, Abigail was in the process of using a sigil to unlock it when Tally suddenly grabbed her arm – eyes wide in horror. “Get out, we have to get out of the house,” she said urgently.</p><p>“The wages of sin is death!” the man screamed from where he was holed up. Suddenly, a liquid splashed out from underneath the door and they could smell what it was: gasoline. “The Lord preserveth all them that love him; but all the wicked He will <em>destroy</em>!”</p><p>“Shit, shit, shit. Run!” Abigail barked at them.</p><p>They turned and ran, but still heard the unmistakable ‘whoosh’ of a large fire taking hold. Scrambling to get to the front door, they all but made it before an explosion rocked the ground and decimated that side of the house.</p><p>Raelle hit the ground outside face down, stars dancing behind her eyelids for a moment. Her ears were ringing as pieces of wood rained down from the sky. Shaking her head, she slowly pushed herself up and took stock of what happened. Scylla was a few feet from her, also trying to get her bearings. Raelle shuffled over and grabbed the necro’s hand, a Link almost instantly forming between them so she could know that Scylla was unharmed.</p><p>Beyond a few bumps and bruises, Scylla was fine.</p><p>“Tally! Abigail!” Raelle then yelled, turning to look in the other direction for her sisters.</p><p>“I’m okay!” came Tally’s response. She was getting herself seated upright, but Raelle could see she was bleeding from a laceration on her temple.</p><p>Eyes still scanning, Raelle looked back toward the house and saw Abigail was down. She was on her back, eyes closed. “Abigail!” She let go of Scylla’s hand, scrambling the distance between herself and Bellweather on her hands and knees. She nearly pitched herself over when she came to a sudden stop next to the downed witch. </p><p>“Bellweather, open your eyes damn it,” she demanded, looking Abigail over for signs of injury. Then, she found it: a piece of wood was sticking out of Abigail’s right flank. “Shit.”</p><p>Tally appeared next to her, eyes wide and scared. “I should have seen it,” she whispered. “That whole room was rigged to blow. Gas and propane.”</p><p>“Tal, I need you to focus right now,” Raelle said. “Help me move her so we can get the wood out.”</p><p>Tally’s hands were shaking, but she did as she was told. They rolled Abigail to one side and Raelle pulled the piece of wood out of Abigail’s back. It was enough to make the Blaster groan out a protest.</p><p>“Now we lay her back down,” Raelle told Tally. Once they got Abigail repositioned, she placed one hand near the area that was injured, and the other went to support the witch’s neck. “Come on, Abigail. <em>Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you</em>. Bellweather, open your damn eyes! <em>For everyone that asketh receiveth, and she that seeketh findeth; and to her that knocketh it shall be opened</em>.”</p><p>Abigail coughed. “Collar, we’ve talked about your Christo-pagan bullshit,” she joked as she opened her eyes.</p><p>“Too bad, Bellweather,” Raelle choked out a laugh. She looked up at Tally across from her, lifting the hand that had been by Abigail’s injury and placing it just below Tally’s temple. “<em>To her that knocketh, it shall be opened. Power and glory, forever and ever</em>.”</p><p>Abigail slowly sat herself up and Raelle felt Scylla crouch down next to her. “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised it was a trap,” Bellweather commented, looking up at the half-gone house. “Maybe we can get the fire put out and see if there’s anything useful left.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, do we all agree that Abigail needs to catch a damn break? Yes? Yes. I thought so. Maybe she'll catch one by the end of all this.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the unit debriefs their second encounter with the Camarilla, Raelle and Scylla have some time to themselves, and Anacostia's morning jog is interrupted.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as they arrived back at base, the Bellweather unit was swiftly separated to give their debriefings on what happened during their mission. They’d pulled a few boxes of stuff out of the house, and some charred notebooks that had been in the kitchen. Those were also promptly confiscated from the group, so that Alder and her people could go through them.</p><p>Maybe the general didn’t realize they were all on the same side?</p><p>Or maybe Alder still wasn’t ready to admit how big of a problem they suddenly found themselves with.</p><p>Either way, the unit was treated more like war criminals than soldiers when they got back to Fort Salem. Raelle knew it was because Alder wanted to make sure their stories matched up. Military brass was desperate to get their hands on the witchbomb, and there had been an explosion during their mission. Raelle knew that was what they wanted because the major doing her debriefing kept asking about it, over and over again.</p><p>“How did the explosion happen?”</p><p>“What events led up to the explosion?”</p><p>“Did anyone in your unit generate the explosion?”</p><p>“Were you or anyone in your unit Linked when the explosion happened?”</p><p>“Are you certain it was a manmade explosion?”</p><p>“Look!” Raelle finally raised her voice, slamming her hands down on the table between them. She was physically tired, and tired of them asking the same questions. “I am going to spell it out one last time, nice and slow for you. There was a Camarilla agent inside the room. He was screaming about how God destroys sinners, gasoline came out from underneath the door, and then he lit the place up. That is exactly what happened. You can ask me a hundred more times, and the answer is still going to be the same. When I was Fixing Bellweather, Craven said that she should have seen the gas and propane stored in there. It was a trap, in case anyone came looking for them.”</p><p>The major tapped the end of her pen on the notebook where she’d been taking notes for the debriefing. Finally, she sighed and set the pen down. “Very well. You can go, Corporal Collar.”</p><p>“About time,” Raelle bounced to her feet, grabbing her uniform jacket off the back of the chair. She hit the door so fast, she never would have heard it if the major gave her any further instructions.</p><p>Sitting in a chair in the hall, she found someone waiting for her. “You’re the last one standing,” Scylla informed her. “They let Abigail and Tally both go at least an hour ago.”</p><p>“Lucky me,” Raelle deadpanned.</p><p>Scylla walked over and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Come on, let’s get some fresh air,” she said, guiding Raelle down the hall.</p><p>The soldier followed along without any kind of protest. She was exhausted from the overly long interrogation, which directly followed up an emotionally draining mission. Raelle could still feel the prickle of fear, like pins and needles pressing in around her heart, that immediately seeped into her system after the explosion.</p><p>The dread that something had happened to Scylla. Seeing Tally bleeding. Finding Abigail hurt and unresponsive.</p><p>“Hey, are you okay?” Scylla asked.</p><p>Raelle glanced around them – suddenly they were no longer in the building. She hadn’t even realized they’d made it outside. “Yeah, I’m… I’m fine,” she answered. Given the time of year, the air didn’t cool off much once the sun went down. It was still rather warm out, but thankfully not too humid.</p><p>Scylla didn’t look convinced, not even a little. “Do you… want me to walk you back to Circe?” she asked hesitantly.</p><p>“No,” Raelle shook her head quickly. Her grip on Scylla’s hand tightened, so the necro couldn’t pull away from her. “I don’t want to go back there right now.” She didn’t want Scylla to think she wanted them to go their separate ways.</p><p>That was the last thing she wanted at the moment.</p><p>“Okay.” Scylla rubbed her thumb over Raelle’s hand. “We could take a walk around base?”</p><p>“No,” Raelle denied that, too. She knew what she wanted right now. What she needed. So, she took the lead in where they were going, as the moon shone down on them from above. Her steps were steady, confident, and Scylla didn’t ask where they were going.</p><p>She didn’t have to.</p><p>Raelle pushed open the main door to the Spree’s building on base when they finally got to it, holding it open for Scylla. The pair headed through the quiet halls together. Everyone else was asleep, given the late hour. Raelle had visited Scylla’s room a couple of times, so she knew where it was.</p><p>She could feel her heart start beating a little harder after a flight of stairs and they turned the corner to another hall. Raelle’s eyes landed on Scylla’s door, her steps hitting the wood below just a little faster. One hand was still firmly around Scylla’s as the other reached for the doorknob.</p><p>They had only barely made it beyond the threshold when Raelle spun around to face Scylla, pulling her forward with a quick tug. She saw the necro’s brows furrow in concern for just a second before their lips crashed together in a heated kiss. Raelle’s hands were immediately on either side of Scylla’s neck, the fingertips of her right hand massaging where Scylla’s mark was at the nape of her neck. Her steps forward drove Scylla backwards, and the necro’s back colliding with the door made it close much harder than was necessary.</p><p>Raelle felt one arm wrap around her shoulders, while Scylla’s other hand did something off to the side. Marking a sigil over the doorknob, perhaps? Raelle honestly didn’t care as she drank Scylla in like she was lost in the desert all over again, and Scylla was the only thing that could keep her alive.</p><p>There was a desperation to her actions – the way she clutched Scylla, pulled at their clothes, and only barely remembered to breathe. She was driven by the need to feel every last inch of the other woman, a way to assure herself that they were both alright. She also needed Scylla to know that she was sorry for the stupid things she had said when she was angry and hurt.</p><p>She needed Scylla to know.</p><p>They staggered and fumbled their way over to the bed, losing their clothes along the way. When they got to it, they dropped onto the bed together, a mess of tangled limbs and clashing lips. Scylla met the fervor of Raelle's questing hands with a similar height of desire. The air in the room felt positively electric around them, just as charged with energy as they were.</p><p>Raelle fell into the comforting warmth of Scylla's embrace, content to never come back out of it. “I love you,” she vowed in between kisses. “I love you. I love you. I love you.” She said it for every time she had needed to say it when she lay flat on her back, life leaving her in crimson waves.</p><p>She needed Scylla to <em>know</em>.</p><p>Raelle would never forgive herself if the worst happened and Scylla didn’t know.</p><p>Scylla took Raelle's face between her hands, forcing her back a little so that they could look at one another. “We're okay, Raelle,” she promised. “And I love you, too.”</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>“This better be good, Iz,” Anacostia sighed, following Izadora down into the Necro building. She was still in her sweats, having been on her morning jog when Sergeant L’Amara caught her.</p><p>“It's important,” Izadora assured her. “It's about the mycelium.”</p><p>That was plenty important enough to interrupt Anacostia’s morning routine. She liked to keep to a schedule. Everyone that knew anything about her was aware that was how she operated. Not even bad weather could stop her daily jog around the base. However, something to do with their covert mission was certainly an excuse to end her run early.</p><p>“What about it?” Anacostia questioned as they approached the door.</p><p>Izadora didn’t answer right away. Instead, she opened the door to the mycelium and let Anacostia see it for herself. There were splotches within it, one larger than the other, that were a dark red in color. It almost looked like… blood.</p><p>“What… is that?” Anacostia moved closer to the mycelium to get a better look at it.</p><p>“Did Raelle Fix anyone, while they were out on their mission?” Izadora asked in return.</p><p>“I wasn’t privy to the debriefings,” Anacostia admitted. “And haven’t had a chance to talk with the unit without looking suspicious.”</p><p>“General Alder is playing this one very close to her chest,” Izadora assumed.</p><p>Anacostia nodded her agreement. That was exactly what it looked like to her. Alder wanted to be the only one that could see the big picture here. For someone who was pushing the need to trust each other in these trying times, she wasn’t making it easy. Anacostia’s trust had been thoroughly rattled when she saw Alder puppet the president. That trust had yet to recover.</p><p>What could Alder benefit from keeping the details to herself? Rather than the trust she wanted to maintain, Alder was just pushing those around her away. It drove Anacostia to go behind her back, to gather her own allies to try and figure this situation out.</p><p>Truth be told, Anacostia was worried that Alder’s biggest endgame here was to weaponize one of her soldiers. Why else would there need to be so much secrecy?</p><p>“Say Collar did Fix someone, what does that mean?” Anacostia asked.</p><p>Izadora made a thoughtful noise. “I think it would be one step closer to proving my theory,” she answered. “That the mycelium is providing the energy exchange for Raelle’s work. I’d like to talk to Raelle, if you can find a way to get her here without making Sarah suspicious.”</p><p>Anacostia thought about it for a moment. “Errand girl is a little beneath her now, but if there’s no one else to get a very important message to you…”</p><p>“I think that will work just fine,” Izadora agreed.</p><p>With that settled, Anacostia left the Necro building. She headed back to her quarters so that she could dressed in her uniform for the day. Raelle could be sent to Izadora later in the day, there was no need to have so much extra foot traffic around the Necro building all at once. If Alder found out about it, she could begin to think that something was afoot.</p><p>Which, of course, it was. But she was forcing their hand in this. Anacostia had done things that didn’t sit well on her conscience for Alder. She had done things that she now regretted. Before, it had been to serve the military and the country, but now she wondered if they were only serving to keep Alder in power.</p><p>She still wanted to think better of the general, but she was just too unsure.</p><p>After breakfast, and before training began for the day, Anacostia made her way to the Bellweather unit’s room. She knocked once to announce herself before opening the door. However, she only found two soldiers inside.</p><p>“Where is Collar?” she questioned.</p><p>Abigail and Tally exchanged a look. “She didn’t come back last night,” Bellweather answered.</p><p>Anacostia tried to rein in her annoyance. Why did these three young soldiers continue to insist on pushing every last button she had? “What do you mean she didn’t come back last night?” she asked for clarification.</p><p>“Well… she was still debriefing when Tally and I were let go,” Abigail explained. “Scylla said she would stay and wait for Raelle to finish, so we could come back and rest.”</p><p>“I think we all know where Raelle spent the night,” Tally pointed out matter-of-factly. </p><p>Anacostia closed her eyes, lifting a hand so she could pinch the bridge of her nose between her fingers. The Bellweather unit couldn’t make anything easy on her. Specifically, one Raelle Collar had to be one of the most difficult soldiers she’d ever had to teach. Abigail and Tally were difficult in their own ways, too, of course.</p><p>“You three are going to run a mile for every single grey hair that I end up with, because it’s going to be your fault,” she informed them, opening her eyes again so she could look at them. “Now, what happened on your Camarilla mission?”</p><p>“We found the safe house, there were four Camarilla agents there. Scylla turned one of them against the others, he killed two of them. Raelle downed another,” Abigail recounted for her. “The one that Scylla turned made a break for it when her influence wore off. He locked himself in a room with gasoline and propane, blew up part of the house.”</p><p>“Abigail was hurt,” Tally picked up the story when her sister trailed off. “But Raelle Fixed her. She Fixed a cut on my temple, too. Then we went back into the house, put out as much of the fire as we could, and started pulling boxes of information out. Bridey heard the explosion from the rendezvous point and met with us at the house. She helped us load up what we were able to retrieve and then we came back.”</p><p>“Typical debriefing when you got back?” Quartermaine asked. If she couldn’t be there to see and hear everything that they did, she needed to paint herself as detailed a picture through their retellings as she could.</p><p>“They really wanted to know about the explosion,” Abigail said, and Tally nodded to indicate it had been the same for her. “It was like they didn’t believe it when I told them that Camarilla agent did it.”</p><p>“It was like they were convinced one of us did it,” Tally agreed.</p><p>Anacostia pursed her lips. “Alder wants to find a way to trigger the witchbomb,” she told them. “I would expect that you three will continue being sent out until she gets what she wants.”</p><p>Again, Tally and Abigail looked at one another. Something went unspoken between them, Anacostia could see it in their eyes. They were getting in way over their heads, and Anacostia wasn’t so sure that even she – with Izadora’s help – could keep them above water.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Raelle meets the last piece of their alliance puzzle, and Alder finds a lead against the Camarilla.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Collar!” Raelle heard her name barked in a way that was familiar by now. She had been jogging alongside Tally and Abigail, all with rucksacks on their backs, as part of PT. However, when Sergeant Quartermaine called for her, she hung back and then jogged over to Anacostia.</p><p>“Yes, ma’am?” she asked, jogging in place.</p><p>“Remove your rucksack, Corporal,” Quartermaine instructed. From behind her back, she held out a sealed envelope. “I need you to take this to Sergeant L’Amara in Necro. It’s urgent.”</p><p>Raelle stopped. “You’re… kidding, right? You just need a messenger? There’s literally a dozen other people that could do that.”</p><p>“Just do it, Collar,” Anacostia told her. “And maybe have a cup of tea with the sergeant while you’re there.”</p><p>Now that struck Raelle as odd. She reached up and undid the buckle to the strap across her chest, before shrugging off the rucksack. It dropped to the ground next to them and she took envelope that was offered to her.</p><p>“That is for Sergeant L’Amara’s eyes only, Collar,” Quartermaine instructed. “You are to go straight to the Necro building from here. No little diversions. Understood?”</p><p>Raelle nodded, “Straight to Necro and Sergeant L’Amara.”</p><p>“Good. Go,” Quartermaine nodded her off.</p><p>Raelle turned and headed off in the opposite direction, but she wasn’t going to jog there. She looked down at the envelope in her hands, unable to help her curiosity. She held it up to the light, hoping to glean something of the message that was inside. </p><p>“What the hell?” she muttered to herself. Either it was too hard to see, or the paper inside was completely blank.</p><p>What was Anacostia getting at?</p><p>It was a long walk from where they had been jogging to the Necro building, but it seemed like everything on base was quite a distance from the Necro building. When she finally arrived, she found the entrance open and apparently waiting for her. Raelle hesitated at the door for a moment, pushing down the memories of the last time she’d been here.</p><p>Everything was okay now, she remembered as her thumb pressed against her left palm. </p><p>Finally, she stepped forward and descended the flight of stairs down into the building. As she walked the halls, she passed a group of Necro students that were wearing white coats – either coming from or going to a class. Her steps slowed as she approached the door to the room where she’d found the mycelium her first time down here. Just like before, she could <em>feel</em> it behind the door. This time, it was stronger. She lifted a hand and placed it against the door.</p><p>Raelle swore that she could tell that the mycelium knew she was there, too.</p><p>After a moment, she pulled her hand away from the door and kept walking. If she didn’t deliver Anacostia’s message, she was sure to get reamed for it. And that already happened plenty without her needing to add to it.</p><p>Finally, she came to the Necro sergeant’s office door. She knocked a couple of times before opening it. “Sergeant L’Amara?” she called.</p><p>“Ah, Raelle, I’ve been expecting you,” Izadora said from behind her desk. She motioned to the chair across from her. “Please, have a seat.”</p><p>Raelle glanced around the space, unsure, but ultimately closed the door behind herself and walked over to the chair that had been offered to her. “Sergeant Quartermaine wanted me to bring this to you,” she explained, putting the envelope on the desk before sitting down.</p><p>“Yes, her very important message,” Izadora nodded. She grabbed the envelope and opened it, showing Raelle a completely blank piece of paper inside. “Highly sensitive correspondence.”</p><p>“Wait- why did I just trek all the way across base to deliver a blank piece of paper?” Raelle asked. And why did no one ever explain anything?</p><p>“Because I needed to talk to you, Raelle, and we needed a cover to get you here,” Izadora spoke like it should have been obvious. “You’re not Necro, so you needed a reason to be here. There are eyes and ears all over this base. <em>They</em> see everything.”</p><p>It was reminiscent of what Quartermaine told Raelle in her early days of Basic. And whether or not it was wise to let that put her at ease, it did. “Okay… so why did you need to talk to me?” Raelle questioned, a little less standoffish.</p><p>“There’s plenty we have to discuss, but one thing at a time.” Izadora stood up as a tea kettle began to whistle. There were two mugs next to the kettle, both with tea bags inside them. She poured steaming water into both cups. “Let’s start with the mycelium for now.”</p><p>“How did you…” Raelle trailed off as the sergeant brought over the drinks, setting one in front of her.</p><p>“Sergeant Quartermaine caught me up on the situation,” Izadora answered the unfinished question.</p><p>Raelle paused. Anacostia hadn’t said anything about sharing information with Izadora. “So, she told you… what, exactly?”</p><p>“That you touched the mycelium, that you generated the witchbomb, and that Alder wants to weaponize you,” the sergeant answered point blank.</p><p>“And you two couldn’t have shared that information?” There was nothing but secrecy on this base, even among allies.</p><p>Izadora took a drink of her tea. “Like I said, they see everything. Our secrecy is meant to protect you and your unit. Now, the mycelium? You touched it.”</p><p>Raelle looked down as her lie was so blatantly pointed out to her. “I did,” she admitted. “When I was down here looking for Scylla.” Before Sergeant L’Amara turned right around and lied to her, as well.</p><p>“Why don’t you walk me through what happened, including why you went in that room in the first place?”</p><p>As Raelle rubbed her hands together in her lap, she felt raised bumps on her left palm. Did Scylla know she was anxious? “I, um… when I came down here, I could… I guess, feel it.” It wasn’t easy to explain. “I can still feel it, now. It’s stronger than before. But, when I found that door, I knew that I had to walk in. It was like it called me closer, and I couldn’t help myself. I lifted my hand, and it reached out for me, too. When I pulled my hand away, there was this opaque residue on my finger.”</p><p>“And how long did that remain?” Izadora asked.</p><p>“Until I Fixed Khalida,” Raelle answered. She had to assume that Quartermaine had clued Sergeant L’Amara on that part too. “I had gone to the infirmary before that, to find out what it was. They took a sample, but never got back to me.”</p><p>Izadora hummed thoughtfully. “They brought the sample to my attention, asked if I knew what it could possibly be. They had no idea. You have to be more careful than that now, Raelle.”</p><p>Raelle shook her head. “Like I knew that. I didn’t even know you were on our side until literally five minutes ago.”</p><p>“For your protection,” Izadora reminded. She took another drink from her tea, eying the mug that Raelle had yet to touch. “When you healed Khalida, you took on none of the plague. At that same time, I noticed a change in the mycelium. It looked a great deal like how the plague manifested itself in Khalida.”</p><p>Raelle’s brows pinched together. “What does that mean?”</p><p>“When you touched the mycelium, you created a kind of Link with it. It took some of your DNA, and in exchange, gave you some of its own. Initially, I thought this kind of contact would be deadly.”</p><p>Raelle finally reached for her cup, taking a long drink of the warm tea inside to soothe her suddenly parched throat. “So, I’m Linked to a giant mushroom? I still don’t understand what that means.”</p><p>“I’m still working on that. Did you have to do any Fixing during your mission yesterday?”</p><p>“Abigail and Tally,” Raelle nodded.</p><p>“And the type of wounds?” Izadora pressed.</p><p>Raelle cleared her throat. “Abigail was wounded during the explosion, a piece of debris lodged in her right flank. Tally had a nasty cut on her temple.”</p><p>Izadora nodded, quiet for a moment. “Come with me, Raelle,” she instructed as she stood up.</p><p>Raelle did as she was told, following L’Amara out of the office. They went down the hall and the sergeant stopped outside the door to the mycelium. Izadora glanced over at her briefly, then pushed the door open to let her inside. Raelle crossed the threshold, gaze immediately zeroing in on the mycelium. There was no missing the dark red spots within it.</p><p>“What is that?” she questioned.</p><p>“Looks a lot like blood, doesn’t it?” Izadora asked in return, following Raelle into the room. “When you Fixed Abigail and Tally, you didn’t take on any of their wounds, did you?”</p><p>Raelle shook her head, connecting the dots before the sergeant explained further. “It went to the mycelium, didn’t it?”</p><p>“I believe that is what the evidence is pointing toward,” Izadora confirmed. </p><p>“Does that mean that I’m hurting it by Fixing people?” Raelle might not have known exactly what the mycelium was, but she didn’t want to cause it any harm. She suspected she knew the answer, though. If she was Linked to it, shouldn’t she have known if something was damaging it?</p><p>“I don’t think so. While it may have looked bad after taking on Khalida’s plague, and your subsequent healing of Tally’s leg during Citydrop and the Tarim boy’s plague in China… after the witchbomb, it went right back to normal,” the sergeant explained.</p><p>Raelle moved closer to the mycelium. “The witchbomb,” she repeated. “Is my Link with it how it happened?”</p><p>Sergeant L’Amara walked over to a specimen table where there were several samples sitting out. “These are all from the witchbomb site and the path leading away from the site,” she stated. “They are unlike any mushrooms I have ever seen on the outside. Inside, they have the same structure as those I know are related to the mycelium. It is an unmistakable connection.”</p><p>“And you didn’t tell Alder?” Raelle asked cautiously.</p><p>“No. Sergeant Quartermaine and I are going to do everything we can to keep you from being turned into a weapon,” Izadora assured her. “But, we do need to know how the witchbomb works. If we know that, we can possibly control when it happens, and run interference to keep Alder from finding out that information. Can you tell me what happened leading up to it?”</p><p>“I was dying,” Raelle said flatly, her eyes not leaving the mycelium. “I was Linked with Abigail. I didn’t want to drag her down with me. I didn’t want to die… and I was thinking of Scylla. I just <em>really</em> didn’t want to die, and then I did.” There was still too much to live for.</p><p>Suddenly, Raelle felt a comforting hand on her shoulder as Izadora came up beside her. “You are incredibly strong Raelle,” Izadora told her. “You have an amazing, natural talent within you. Death is… complex. I think those of us within Necro have a unique view of it, but no one can ever fault you for wanting to live.”</p><p>“So, what do we do now?” Raelle questioned.</p><p>“Like I said, we need to know more about this connection, especially how the witchbomb works. If it happens again, I need to know everything you can tell me leading up to it,” L’Amara requested. “Even the smallest details that you can muster for me could be invaluable.”</p><p>“If I explode again, don’t forget anything,” Raelle summed up. “Got it.”</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>The moment that the information the Bellweather unit obtained had been brought to her, Alder holed up in her office with her Biddies. Everyone else had been forced back out, while she went to work. She wanted to know everything that was within the boxes and the burned, brittle notebooks. She needed to know what they were facing, so she could plan a proper routing of the Camarilla.</p><p>Again.</p><p>None of the officers understood what it was like to face such hate head on. To be the one to stand against it, to have so many lives cradled in their hands for safe keeping. They hadn’t seen the burning times with their own eyes.</p><p>What Alder found within the books was… disturbing. It took her back to her younger years in a way that made her skin crawl. There were reproductions of pamphlets that denounced witches, that told people how to rise up en masse to do away with the wicked. So many detailed accounts of how to kill witches: stoning, hanging, driving a knife through their heart, and the Camarilla’s favorite method of burning them alive.</p><p>It made Sarah’s stomach churn as if she could be sick, despite the fact that it had been hundreds of years since there would have been anything to retch up.</p><p>The Camarilla detailed how to properly identify a witch. There were methods of tracking matrilines. Unfortunately, there was nothing there that showed how they got the information on the lost witches of the Bellweather line, but their methods were outlined. All of this hate was ready to be distributed, just like it had been at the Camarilla’s height.</p><p>The Bellweather unit had taken out a recruitment hub, that much was becoming clear. </p><p>So disturbed was Alder, that she was getting ready to start in on her third glass of whiskey. The Biddies were tense, too. They shared her memories, and while they hadn’t seen anything like this with their own eyes, they saw it through <em>her</em> eyes. She knew they could feel the ice crawling up her spine, the dread that the burning times had never really been eradicated, the shame that she had been blind to the Camarilla’s reemergence.</p><p>The need to protect her kind.</p><p>The Biddies understood in a way that no one else could, just how dire a situation their kind was in before the Camarilla ever reared their ugly heads again. The situation had been declining even before the Spree made themselves known. And it took a sharp nosedive when the Spree started targeting civilians recently.</p><p>Sarah knew even before Witchfather had told her, that the United States Congress was considering revoking the Salem Accord. That had been on the table for some time – years, even. Petra Bellweather may have been Head of Intelligence, but not even she had eyes and ears in as many places as Sarah did.</p><p>“General.” A quiet voice split the silence like thunder.</p><p>Alder was yanked from her thoughts, looking over at the table where three of the Biddies had been pouring through notebooks. “You’ve found something?” she questioned.</p><p>The three witches nodded, sliding one notebook toward the edge of the table closest to Alder. She got up from her desk and walked over. It was one of the more damaged books, but the Biddies had been able to save some of the more important parts.</p><p>Underneath black char, Sarah could make out ink. It was an address, but there was no further information to indicate what was at the address. Despite not knowing what was at the location, it was more than they’d had before taking out the safehouse. It was a start, something they could work their way up from.</p><p>Hastily, Alder had several witches summoned to the war room so that they could meet and discuss the findings. She called for Generals Bellweather and Clary, Sergeants Quartermaine and Bridey, and Willa Collar. When everyone had assembled, it was straight to business.</p><p>“The information gathered in our first offensive mission against the Camarilla proved useful,” she announced to those sitting around the table with her.</p><p>“Maybe we would have gotten through it faster, had some of us helped,” Petra suggested, a hint of ice in her voice.</p><p>“Most of it was propaganda against us, against witches,” Sarah replied coolly. “How to identify us, how to kill us, how to track us, diagrams on how to cut out our vocal cords. It was a recruitment hub, that the Bellweather unit took out. They had information ready to distribute to civilians.”</p><p>“There’s more to it than that,” this time, it was Willa that spoke up.</p><p>Sarah’s eyes ticked over to the former lieutenant. “That is correct. We were able to find an address in one of the books they had been keeping notes in,” she informed the group. “It’s in the town of Hardwick.”</p><p>“Another Camarilla hub here in Massachusetts?” General Clary questioned, concern etching a frown onto her face. “And within a two-hour drive of the base?”</p><p>“Dwell in the land of thy enemy,” Alder spoke absently. “And it will be made safe and prosperous to thee.”</p><p>“If they are so close to Fort Salem, they could make a move on the base,” Petra pointed out. “I’m surprised that they haven’t already.”</p><p>“They know they’d never survive,” Clary argued.</p><p>Alder shook her head. “They are happy to be martyrs for their cause. The blow they suffered in the Tarim Basin is likely what has kept them at bay. They lost most, if not all of their vocal boxes, and I would assume at least one member of their leadership. Here, they are regrouping. Abroad, they are gathering what they need for another larger attack.”</p><p>Laying out the reality for everyone so plainly made them fall to silence. Everyone in the room needed to come to grips with the reality that their enemy didn’t care about self-preservation. They had seen that at the Bellweather wedding attack, in China, and just as recently as at the safehouse. Martyrdom was an achievement to these people. They were dying to protect the world from what they viewed as evil.</p><p>Quartermaine, who had been silent up to that point, finally spoke, “What are we going to do with the information?”</p><p>Sarah took a breath before answering. “First and foremost, we must know what is waiting for us there,” she answered. “I believe our Spree partners will be a good fit for such a delicate reconnaissance mission.”</p><p>Willa was silent for a few moments. “Fine,” she agreed. “I will personally head a small group to take to Hardwick.”</p><p>“I’m glad you agree,” Sarah nodded. “If it turns out that this place is more than a small recruitment hub, then you and I will both head a mission to destroy it. Sergeants Quartermaine and Bridey will accompany us, along with the Bellweather unit, given their ever-growing experience in dealing with the Camarilla.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another mission against the Camarilla. Nothing bad could happen... right? Right?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the military's offense against the Camarilla doesn't go quite as planned.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raelle paced.</p><p>It was the only thing she could do when they weren’t in training. Tally and Abigail had given up on trying to get her to stop after a couple of days. Now they just made an occasional comment about the possibility that Raelle would wear down their floor. It was better to let her work out her nervous energy where they could keep an eye on her, lest Raelle run out and do something foolish.</p><p>Again.</p><p>It had been a week. A week! Since Scylla told Raelle that she was going out on a recon mission with Willa. There were a few Spree members that were going out on the mission, and Scylla couldn’t tell her where they were going. All Scylla could share with her was what she knew – the recon mission was acting on information they’d pulled out of the Camarilla safehouse.</p><p>How long did it take to recon a location?</p><p>Raelle’s pacing only faltered when the familiar ‘S’ formed on her left palm. It was an assurance, a promise that Scylla was okay. It was the only thing that let her relax the smallest amount. She needed Scylla to come back, safe and sound.</p><p>Anacostia had told them, not long after the Spree left for the mission, that whatever was found, their unit would be involved with. Sergeant Quartermaine had heard it directly from General Alder in a meeting to discuss the location being scouted. The Bellweather unit had ‘<em>growing experience</em>’ with the Camarilla. Yeah, because two missions with the Camarilla involved was definitely experience in dealing with them.</p><p>Truth be told, Raelle didn’t care about getting deployed yet again. All she cared about was that Scylla came back to her.</p><p>“I bet Anacostia would be floored if she saw how well you can actually march, shitbird,” Abigail said with a smile from her perch on her bed.</p><p>“I think she puts you to shame,” Tally teased Abigail from across the room. She hopped to her feet, falling in step with Raelle. “Mm, yep, she’s got you beat, Abs.”</p><p>“You guys,” Raelle complained.</p><p>Tally suddenly turned and threw her arms around Raelle, pulling her into a hug. “It’s going to be okay, Rae. Just give it a little more time.”</p><p>Raelle half-heartedly returned the hug. “I’m trying,” she replied. It was just so hard knowing that Scylla was out there, on a mission that involved the Camarilla, and she wasn’t there to ensure the necro’s safety. What if something happened?</p><p>Tally released her from the hug. “Alright, soldier, you may continue your vigilant watch,” she said with a chuckle.</p><p>Raelle was about to turn for another lap when the door to their dorm opened. “Scylla.” The name and all the air in her lungs left Raelle in a rush. Quick steps closed the distance between herself and the necro, and she wrapped Scylla into a fierce hug. Raelle breathed a sigh of relief as Scylla’s arms wrapped around her in return.</p><p>Either Tally or Abigail cleared their throat, and Raelle pulled back to get a good look at Scylla. Her hands cupped Scylla’s cheeks, then ran down her neck, shoulders, and arms as Raelle looked her over. “You’re okay?”</p><p>“I’m okay,” Scylla confirmed. She glanced back at the still open door, pulling away just long enough to shut it. “We need to talk.”</p><p>Raelle nodded and took Scylla’s hand, leading her over to her bunk. Tally went and took a seat next to Abigail on the bed across from them.</p><p>“So, did you find anything useful on your mission?” Abigail asked.</p><p>Scylla nodded, lips pursed. “We did. I don’t know how much of this they’re going to share with you. I’m not supposed to tell you anything.” That little tidbit didn’t surprise anyone in the Bellweather unit. Secrecy was a much-used skill on base. “The location we went to was in Hardwick. It’s a really small town, just a couple hours away from Fort Salem.”</p><p>“That close?” Tally asked, concerned.</p><p>Again, Scylla nodded. “The first day, we just got a feel for the town. Typical civilian place, really, but there was a lost of resentment for witches. That night, we went and found the address that Alder gave us. It was this really old, run down, abandoned warehouse. Probably built in the 1800s, from the looks of it. It took us a couple days to find the right people to work out way in with. Willa,” Scylla paused and glanced at Raelle at the mention of her mom, “was the one to make it in first.”</p><p>Raelle looked away from Scylla when the story turned toward her mom. She hadn’t spoken to the woman since that first meeting. She just couldn’t bring herself to.</p><p>“What was in the warehouse?” Abigail pressed when Scylla didn’t outright continue.</p><p>The necro cleared her throat before speaking again. “It was bad. They were making more weapons for themselves, constructing vocal boxes for when they get more witch vocal cords, gathering what they would need for pyres… they were even making homemade explosives.”</p><p>“They’re getting ready to go on the offensive,” Abigail assumed. It was the only thing that made sense, if they were arming themselves as such.</p><p>“They can’t openly attack Fort Salem, can they?” Tally asked, looking between the other witches in the room. “This is a witches place. There’s too many of us.”</p><p>“If they use guerilla tactics, they can,” Scylla answered. </p><p>It was a grim prospect. The one place they were meant to be safe was vulnerable to attack. The fort was likely to be locked down after this, the only comings and goings having to be authorized and guarded. Patrols were likely to be heightened.</p><p>Who would have thought war would make it all the way to their doorstep?</p><p>Before anything more could be said, the door opened again. “Bellweather unit, you need-“ Anacostia began speaking before she even stepped inside, and stopped when she saw Scylla already there. She didn’t look all that surprised, though. “War room, now. <em>All</em> of you.”</p><p>Raelle looked at her sisters, then at Scylla. There wasn’t a shred of doubt among them, about what the meeting could be.</p><p>They were going to Hardwick.</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>Just over twenty-four hours later, the team bound for Hardwick was on a transport plane. This was a situation where they needed to drop in under the cover of darkness. Helicopters would draw too much attention. That left them with a high altitude jump out of the transport plane, as a plane could better go unnoticed.</p><p>Night had fallen even before they left the Fort Salem air strip. The Bellweather unit – and Scylla, of course – were closest to the bay door, all sitting close together. Across from them were Anacostia and Bridey. Near the midsection of the cargo hold, Willa sat by herself. She’d tried to catch Raelle’s eyes more than once, and the soldier ignored her each time. Finally, Alder and the Biddies were closest to the head of the hold.</p><p>Not much talking was going on inside the plane. The atmosphere was tense, more so than the journey to China. This was a full offensive mission to destroy a fully functioning Camarilla hub. Not only would there be hostiles, but there would be <em>armed</em> hostiles. The element of surprise would last only so long.</p><p>Across from them, Raelle saw Anacostia’s head tilt slightly as she listened to something. Then, the sergeant stood up, “Drop zone approaching,” she called out as a red light near the bay door came on.</p><p>Raelle reached for Scylla’s hand. “Stay by me,” she requested, only just loud enough to be heard of the engine noise. Scylla opened her mouth, surely to argue, but Raelle wasn’t going to have any of that. “I know you can take care of yourself, Scyl. But this is different. Please, stay with me.”</p><p>There was suddenly a hand on her knee, and she felt Tally leaning into her other side. Glancing over, she saw it was Abigail’s hand on her knee, reaching around Tally to do so. “We’ve got each other’s backs,” Abigail said, though her confidence wavered. </p><p>Raelle couldn’t fault her. They were treading into territory that they hadn’t been trained for, but kept getting thrown into. She glanced toward the head of the cargo hold, watching Alder prepare herself. Alder was the one that kept putting them in this kind of situation.</p><p>Scylla squeezed her hand, refocusing her attention. “It’s going to be okay,” she nodded.</p><p>Raelle wasn’t so sure that she agreed, but she didn’t argue. She had a bad feeling about this mission. From the outside, looking in, it looked a lot like Alder was going off half-cocked on these Camarilla missions. Shouldn’t they have been looking for Camarilla leadership? Since when did they not recon further, find their enemies’ networks, then develop a fully fleshed out plan?</p><p>The bay door began to open as Anacostia approached the small group. “Time to get ready, soldiers,” she told them. “Green light means go. It’s a long drop – be careful. Don’t salva up until you are jumping out that door.”</p><p>The four young witches separated from where they’d been leaning against one another. They each had a tin of military issue salva and readied a dose for use. Citydrop’s free fall from the helicopter hadn’t been nearly as high where they were about to drop from.</p><p>The red light turned green, and the mission was officially a go.</p><p>Anacostia was the first to jump from the ramp, followed by Bridey. The Bellweather unit followed the two sergeants, and Raelle wasn’t sure who jumped after them.</p><p>Sergeant Quartermaine wasn’t lying – it was a <em>long</em> way down. The free fall before correcting course at low altitude was at least sixty seconds, not that Raelle could have counted if she wanted to. She was certainly thankful when her feet finally hit solid ground again.</p><p>“Is everyone alright?” Alder asked once they were all re-assembled back on the ground.</p><p>No one spoke up to say otherwise, so it was taken as everyone was in fit shape to continue. Willa joined Alder at the head of the group to lead the way to their target. They had landed in a wide, open field just outside of Hardwick, making it less likely that someone would notice a bunch of people falling from the sky. </p><p>They trudged through waist-high grass, staying as low as they could to go undetected. There wouldn’t be a lot of people out at such an hour, but they couldn’t risk losing the element of surprise here. As they came to the edge of town, Alder held up a hand to stop everyone. Just in the distance, they could see an old warehouse. All the lights were on inside, indicating people were there and working.</p><p>Alder turned to face the group. “We move as one,” she told them. “We cannot allow any of their weaponry to leave that building.”</p><p>Raelle nearly rolled her eyes at the not so rousing pep talk the general offered them. If that was supposed to inspire them to go blazing into glorious battle… well, she would have felt more inspired had Alder said nothing at all.</p><p>Forward, the soldiers pressed, slowing to a creep as they approached the warehouse. There were large delivery doors, a small side door, and a few windows as entrance points – all of which were closed, of course. As they came up to press along the exterior wall, Alder issued silent orders with hand gestures. The group broke apart to breach the warehouse in multiple spots.</p><p>Raelle followed Abigail and Tally, Scylla right at her side, as they moved along the wall to a far window. Abigail reached it first, carefully testing to see if it would open. The old, single pane panel slid up easily, but wouldn’t stay by itself. Bellweather held it up while the rest of them climbed through it.</p><p>Their entry point was a storage room, piled high with crates and barrels. They managed to slip inside without a sound and navigated their way to an interior door. Abigail took point again, cracking open the door to look at what was waiting for them beyond the room. There were a couple dozen people that could be seen in the main area of the warehouse. The soldiers could hear a fire and brimstone sermon against witches playing from speakers that they couldn’t rightly locate from their position.</p><p>Nothing like radicalizing the troops.</p><p>As they got into position, a man inside began shouting, “The demons are upon us! The devil’s witches!”</p><p>All hell broke loose just like that and they breached the main area of the warehouse. Scourges were flying, Camarilla men and women brandished knives, and others scattered to retrieve heavier weaponry. The Bellweather unit pushed forward, joining the fray without hesitation. They all had to work together, because they were outnumbered by the Camarilla.</p><p>Raelle swung her scourge around with purpose, hitting a woman squarely in the temple. As she prepared for the next Camarilla rushing for her, she felt someone grab the back of her jacket and yank hard. She lost her balance as she was forced backward, and watched a dart just miss her face. Glancing back, she saw that it was Tally who had just saved her from what she assumed was a plague dart.</p><p>“Thanks,” she nodded.</p><p>“Don’t mention it,” Tally replied.</p><p>The sermon that had been playing over the speakers cut off and was replaced by a high-pitched screeching sound. It made every single witch hesitate, the sound an excruciating assault against their ears. It was the same screeching the Camarilla used to dampen their vocal tie to their Work.</p><p>Before Raelle recovered, she was hit with a full body slam by a man twice her size. He tackled her to the ground, making her see stars. Dazed, Raelle’s eyes widened as he reared back with a knife. However, before he could even attempt to drive it into her, a different blade plunged into and through the side of his neck. The man gurgled and gasped for air, reaching for his neck as he toppled over.</p><p>“I got you,” Scylla told Raelle, reaching down and grabbing her hand to yank her back to her feet.</p><p>Raelle gave her a curt nod, swallowing hard. Apparently, she needed Scylla nearby to protect her, not the other way around. She couldn’t dwell on that long, though. They were in the middle of a fight and that screeching was going to drive her out of her mind.</p><p>“Bellweather!” she yelled over the noise. “We have to find those speakers!” An explosion rocked the front of the warehouse. “Shit,” Raelle swore. Some plan this had been.</p><p>Glancing in the direction of the explosion, she saw Anacostia and Bridey engaged in hand-to-hand combat, giving Alder and the Biddies some space. They should have brought more soldiers. Not far from them, she saw her mom drive a knife into a Camarilla man’s gut.</p><p>They needed to be able to use their Work. As highly trained as they were, they could still be overwhelmed by numbers – and there were more Camarilla coming down from the second floor.</p><p>Raelle looked around, scanning the walls and corners for speakers. “There!” she shouted, pointing out one speaker about ten yards out from them, tucked up by a rafter. </p><p>“I’ve got it!” Abigail yelled back.</p><p>Raelle looked to the opposite wall, hoping that there would be another in a similar place. They were further from that wall, but she could just make out the outlines of a box tucked up to a rafter like the first speaker she’d spotted. She tapped Scylla’s shoulder, then motioned to the other speaker. Scylla nodded and followed her as they made their way over to the opposite wall.</p><p>A wall of fire suddenly burst to life in front of Raelle, nearly making her fall over herself as she tried to stop. “Rae, look out!” Scylla warned, grabbing her and pulling her aside. Another lit Molotov was thrown in their direction, bursting and splashing a wider range of fire in front of them. “I’ll take care of the fire happy Camarilla if you can get to that speaker.”</p><p>“I got it,” Raelle assured Scylla. They broke apart, Raelle hopping through the flames to get to the speaker. Even with her scourge, she had to get close enough to the screeching speaker that she wouldn’t have been surprised if her ears were bleeding. She didn’t know sound could hurt so badly, but she pushed through it. Scourge in hand, and with a true strike, the warehouse went silent.</p><p>Abigail must have gotten to the other speaker already.</p><p>“General Alder!” Tally screamed.</p><p>The way that Tally yelled made Raelle’s blood go cold. Her head whipped around in time to watch as Sarah Alder stumbled… and fell. It was like watching her go down in slow motion. There was a dart in Alder’s neck, black webbing spreading like wildfire. And as Alder went down, so too did her Biddies.</p><p>Without thinking, Raelle ran. She lunged over tables and crates that were in her way. A Camarilla agent made the mistake of getting in her way and was the fastest foe she had ever felled. Bridey and Anacostia, who had been a buffer between Alder and the Camarilla, were nowhere in sight as Raelle got to the general.</p><p>She hesitated for just a moment when she actually got there. Alder was the reason they were conscripted. She was the reason the Camarilla had re-emerged without them knowing. She had held Scylla prisoner and had her tortured.</p><p>And Raelle felt ashamed of her hesitation.</p><p>She dropped next to Alder, yanking the dart out of the general’s neck. “Y-you can’t, Collar,” Alder spoke weakly. “It’s too much.”</p><p>“With all due respect, General, I need you to <em>shut up</em> and let me concentrate,” Raelle snapped, placing her hands on either side of Alder’s neck.</p><p>“We got you, Rae!” Abigail announced from behind her.</p><p>“We’re here,” Tally assured her.</p><p>Raelle blocked them out, though. She blocked everything else out. Raelle had to focus. She could hear Alder’s heartbeat, and the heartbeats of each of the Biddies. They all beat as one. They all breathed as one. The Link that formed between her and Alder threatened to pull her under because it wasn’t <em>just</em> Alder, it was the seven witches serving as Biddies, too.</p><p>They were all one life force.</p><p>They were all dying.</p><p>Raelle swallowed thickly, eyes closed and brows pinched together as she concentrated. In the back of her mind she could hear screaming, but not from her present surroundings. It was Alder’s voice, a young Sarah Alder to be exact. Alder’s memories crept in through the Link, unbidden and ignored as best as Raelle could while she tried to work.</p><p>“<em>When you pass through the waters, I will be with you</em>,” Raelle recited, voice distorted and shaky. She regulated Alder’s heartbeat and breathing to match her own. “<em>Through the rivers, they shall not flood you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned</em>.”</p><p>She didn’t need to open her eyes to know that it didn’t work. But Alder wasn’t dead yet. She had to try again. “<em>When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. Through the rivers, they shall not flood you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned</em>.”</p><p>The Link threatened to drag her under with Alder and the Biddies. She could feel her own energy being pulled into it, but it wasn’t enough. This wasn’t like the Tarim children she had healed. This was Fixing eight full-grown, fully Linked, dying witches at once.</p><p>Raelle really hoped that Izadora was right.</p><p>She took a moment to steady herself before trying one more time. “<em>When you pass through the waters, I will be with you</em>.” Raelle spoke louder, forcing confidence into her actions. She felt a sudden rush of invigoration. “<em>The rivers, they shall not flood you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned</em>.”</p><p>And when Raelle opened her eyes again, the black webbing was falling away from General Alder. The Biddies were coming back around, too. Somehow, some way, it had worked. Judging by the look on her face, Alder was just as surprised that it worked.</p><p>The general sat up slowly, reaching out to place a hand on Raelle’s cheek. “Thank you, child,” she said with more emotion than Raelle had ever heard from her.</p><p>A pair of hands hooked under Raelle’s arms, lifting her to her feet. “We have to get out of here,” Abigail told them.</p><p>Tally went around them to help Alder to her feet.</p><p>Raelle glanced at their surroundings, noticing thick smoke in the air, fire spreading fast, and a couple felled bodies nearby. She'd been so focused when Linked with Alder, she hadn't the faintest idea of what had happened around them. The warehouse was all but consumed with fire. They weren’t going to have to worry about the Camarilla getting anything useful out of here.</p><p>Or so she thought.</p><p>She helped Abigail, Tally, and Alder get the Biddies back on their feet. Another explosion rocked the warehouse, raining flaming debris around them.</p><p>“We have to get out!” Alder ordered them.</p><p>As a group, they managed to get out the side door, flames licking at their heels as they did so. There was a ruckus behind them, as the warehouse roof began to collapse. They got far enough out to be considered a safe enough distance from the inferno before stopping to regroup.</p><p>“Wait…” Abigail looked around with a frown. “Where are the others?”</p><p>Raelle’s eyes darted around their surroundings. She didn’t see…</p><p>Panic and adrenaline soaked her system as she turned and lurched back toward the warehouse. “Scylla!” she shouted. Alder’s arm swung around her midsection to keep her from running back into the burning building. “No, let me go! <em>Scylla!</em>”</p><p>Tally suddenly obstructed her view of the warehouse as she struggled against Alder’s hold. “Rae,” Tally said, placing her hands on Raelle’s shoulders. “They’re not in there. They’re… they’re gone.”</p><p>Raelle still fought against Alder, and now Tally as well. She didn’t understand. “Where are they?” she asked. “Where’s Scylla?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry, not sorry.</p><p>Feel free to scream at me in the comments.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the unit deals with the aftermath of their mission.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>Hello?</em>” a groggy voice answered the phone after a couple of rings.</p><p>“Pop,” was all Raelle managed to strangle out. She gulped down a breath, trying to swallow the sob that bit relentlessly at the back of her throat.</p><p>“<em>Rae?</em>” Edwin’s voice became alert, full of concern. “<em>What’s wrong?</em>”</p><p>It was well past lights out that saw Raelle sitting at the phone in the rec room. It wasn't like her CO was around to reprimand her for it. She knew that she'd be waking her dad up with the phone call, but she dialed the number anyway. She needed to talk to him.</p><p>“There's just… a lot going on right now,” she told him. It was a battle to keep her emotions in check. They threatened to bubble over, leave her a sobbing mess right there on the rec room floor.</p><p>“<em>Okay. Why don't you tell me about it?</em>” Edwin suggested.</p><p>“There's… there's this girl.” Raelle's chin trembled. “I love her, Pop.”</p><p>“<em>What happened?</em>”</p><p>Her shoulders began to shake, unable to hold it at bay. Tears streaked scorching rivers down her cheeks. “She got captured. We were on a mission together, we separated for a couple minutes… then she was gone.” Admitting that Scylla was gone, was <em>captured</em> opened the flood gates. “They got my CO too, and another sergeant. And… and… Pop, Mama’s alive, and they’ve got her too.” The longer Raelle spoke, the faster words tumbled out of her mouth. “I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Pop. She showed up at Fort Salem a few weeks ago and I know that I should have told you as soon as I found out, but I didn’t want to hurt you like that and I’m sorry.”</p><p>Raelle breathed heavily as she waited for her dad’s response. In the silence, it felt like she was going to hyperventilate. What was going through his head? Was he angry with her? Did he even want to talk to her?</p><p>“<em>Alright, Rae, you listen here.</em>” Her heart clenched at the serious tone of his voice. “<em>It’s been years since anything has scared you. You know how hard it is to have a daughter as fiercely independent as you are, girl? All those scrapes you got into with those dumbass kids in school, guys twice your size and you were up there in their faces. All those people ‘round the neighborhood you helped, and if you weren’t sure how, you figured it out. I know you’ll figure out how to get them back, that’s what you do. You’ve always fought the hardest for the people you love, Rae. And as for your Mama… well, we’ll figure that out once you bring them back.</em>”</p><p>Raelle sniffled, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Thanks, Pop.” She’d been so afraid that he would be angry with her for keeping the truth from him.</p><p>“<em>Now, what’s my future daughter-in-law’s name?</em>” Edwin asked with a chuckle.</p><p>Raelle let out something between a sob and a laugh. “Her name is Scylla.”</p><p>“<em>Go get some rest, Rae. It’s late. In the morning, your head will be a little more clear and you can start to figure out how to bring them home. If anyone can do it, you can</em>.”</p><p>Doubt still hung as a low, dark cloud over her. “What if I can’t?” she whispered.</p><p>“<em>Now, now</em>,” Edwin gently chastised, “<em>none of that, alright? Buck up, soldier. People are counting on you</em>.”</p><p>Raelle cleared her throat, hoping to steady her voice. “Yes, sir,” she replied. </p><p>“<em>You bring that girl home, you hear? I expect both of you to come home when you get some leave</em>.”</p><p>“Yes, sir,” Raelle repeated, straightening her posture from where she’d been slouched over. “I think you’ll really like her.” He’d want to know everything when they did visit. If they ever did. She and Scylla could leave out the more painful parts.</p><p><em>“No more stalling, go get some rest. Bring your girl back, bring your Mama and those others back, too</em>.”</p><p>Raelle nodded even though her dad couldn’t see it. “I’ll try,” she promised, before quickly amending herself, “I will, Pop.”</p><p>“<em>G’night, Rae. Be safe. Don’t forget how much I love you, kid</em>.”</p><p>“I love you, too, Pop. I’m sorry for waking you… ‘night.” Slowly, Raelle placed the receiver back on the hook. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Talking to her dad had helped take the edge off the strongest emotions that threatened to completely overwhelm her. </p><p>And he was right. At the moment, she needed to sleep. In the morning, she could tackle the problem with a clear head.</p><p>Glancing down at her left hand, she spoke to the empty room, “Come on, Scyl… tell me you’re alright.”</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>The first thing her conscious mind became aware of was the screaming pain in her arms and shoulders. Just behind that was the difficulty to breathe. That was what rocketed her to the waking world.</p><p>Scylla’s eyes flew open and she gasped for air, scrambling to get her feet underneath her. She desperately needed to support her weight normally, get it off her chest and arms.</p><p>It was difficult to see in the low light of… wherever she was. She hadn’t the slightest idea of where ‘here’ was. The dank stone room brought back memories of being held in the Necro basement of Fort Salem. This time, though, her wrists were chained above her head, holding her firmly to the wall. However long she’d been unconscious, it was long enough to make it difficult to breathe. </p><p>What had happened?</p><p>She remembered telling Raelle to go after the speaker to stop the incessant screeching. She went after the Molotov-toting Camarilla. But then… </p><p>Something struck her in the head. And everything went black.</p><p>“Oh good, you’re awake.”</p><p>Scylla’s attention whipped to her right and she saw Anacostia in the same exact position as herself: chained to the wall and with a collar around her neck. It was only then that she realized she could feel a weight around her throat.</p><p>This really was like Fort Salem. But she knew their current situation was so much more dire.</p><p>It wasn’t the military that had them.</p><p>Glancing around, she saw Willa and Bridey similarly chained and collared. There was no sign of the Bellweather unit, or Alder and her Biddies. That had to be good, right? That meant they got away?</p><p>Or that they’d been killed in the warehouse.</p><p>No.</p><p><em>No</em>, she couldn’t think like that. Raelle and the others had gotten out. They had to have gotten out.</p><p>“Where are we?” Scylla croaked out, throat dry.</p><p>“Your guess is as good as mine,” Anacostia answered.</p><p>“Not so fun when you’re the one chained in a dark, dank basement, is it?” Scylla verbally pricked the sergeant.</p><p>Anacostia didn’t dignify the barb with a response. Scylla glanced toward her hands again, testing the slack of the chains and the strength of the fastening to the wall. As expected, it didn’t budge. She even gave her Work a shot, in case the collars didn’t work. Unfortunately… that was a nonstarter as well.</p><p>All four of them were stuck until they were rescued.</p><p><em>If</em> they were rescued.</p><p>Scylla knew that Raelle would come for her. The soldier wouldn’t stop. But, if the captives didn’t even know where they were, how could Raelle and the others on the outside? And if they did manage to find out somehow, would they even make it in time?</p><p>Was she never going to look into Raelle’s eyes again? Never hear her voice again? Never feel those rough, comforting hands again?</p><p>Suddenly, a door opened to the basement and two pairs of feet came down the steps. It was a man and a woman, each with an evil glint in their eyes. The man walked to a metal bin in the middle of the space, dropping a couple chunks of wood into it. He produced a bottle of lighter fluid and doused the wood in it, before dropping a lit match in with it. The woman handed him an iron poker, and he placed the end into the flames.</p><p>“Remember, stay away from their necks. Johannsen needs those vocal cords intact,” the woman reminded.</p><p>The man chuckled darkly. “There’ll be plenty for him,” he stated, then turned and took in each witch that was being held captive. “A shame we can’t burn ‘em like the rest… You lot should consider yourselves lucky.” He strolled past Scylla and Anacostia, stopping in front of Willa. “Your gracious donations will help us win this war against evil. Your sins will not be expunged, but you may die knowing you are helping a greater cause – the greatest of causes.”</p><p>Willa glared. She pulled her head back slightly, drawing in a deep breath. Then, without warning, she spit directly in the man’s face.</p><p>With a furious roar, he backhanded her. </p><p>“You four can make this much easier on yourselves,” the woman told them. “We just want information right now. If you give us what we need, we won’t have to force it out of you. Do something good in your final hours.”</p><p>The man walked back over to the fire he’d started, checking to see if the poker was hot yet. “How long until Johannsen gets here?”</p><p>“Two days at most. He’s got a few things to prepare, then he’s coming up from Mississippi,” the woman answered.</p><p>“That’ll be enough time. I’ll get these wretches to tell us everything we need to know about that devil’s pit they call Fort Salem, and Sarah Alder.”</p><p>While the two Camarilla agents were preoccupied, Scylla shifted. She reached her right hand for her left, straining against the grip of the chains. She only barely managed to get the tip of her middle finger to reach, brushing it across her palm to form an ‘S.’</p><p>
  <em>I’m alive, Rae, and I really, really need you to figure out where I am.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Please, don’t give up on me.</em>
</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>When Raelle woke up in the morning, she couldn’t stomach breakfast. She was too anxious, too uptight. Breakfast would waste precious time, more than she’d wasted on the few hours of sleep she managed to get. They had soldiers out in the field that had been captured by the Camarilla. Scylla was out there. Her mom was out there.</p><p>They needed to figure out where the others were.</p><p>If they were still alive.</p><p>They had to be alive. Scylla had to be alive. Raelle would know if the worst had happened, right? Even if logic suggested that the Camarilla wouldn’t keep them around… the Camarilla would make a big show of the attack, wouldn’t they? They had military folks in their grasp, they would want to make an example of them.</p><p>“Rae? You good?” Tally asked from beside her.</p><p>Raelle realized she’d been grinding her teeth, brow furrowed deeply as she was lost in thought. There was a light buzz around the dining area, people talking in hushed tones and occasionally glancing their way. Even though she didn’t want to eat, she went with Tally and Abigail to the dining hall for breakfast.</p><p>“No,” she shook her head, giving an honest answer. “I just-“ she cut herself off as she felt a familiar itch on her left palm. Flipping it over, her eyes widened. “Guys.”</p><p>Tally and Abigail both leaned in and saw the ‘S’ form on Raelle’s palm. They looked at one another, then at Raelle. “That means she’s alive,” Tally sounded optimistic. “The others have to be alive, too.”</p><p>“We have to find them.” Raelle all but jumped to her feet. “We don’t know how much longer they have. We need to find them, now.”</p><p>“Just slow don’t for a second,” Abigail advised. “We don’t know where they are, have no leads on where they could be… what are we supposed to do, Rae?”</p><p>“You just want to let them die?” Raelle demanded, features clouding over.</p><p>“That’s not what I’m saying,” Abigail defended herself. “We can’t just go running off without knowing where we need to go. That will only cost us more time, because we’ll be playing catch up from wherever we end up. So first, we need to focus on how to find them.”</p><p>“Tally,” Raelle looked at the knower. “Can you scry for them?”</p><p>“This isn’t a short-range looking for enemies or information kind of thing,” Tally shook her head. “It’s looking for someone and having no idea where they could be. I don’t have that kind of range.”</p><p>Raelle pursed her lips, not ready to accept defeat. Never ready. If they just had a way to help Tally see further…</p><p>Her eyes suddenly widened as she was struck with an idea. Raelle lunged forward, grabbing Tally’s hand and tugging her from her seat unceremoniously. Tally squeaked in surprise as she was pulled through the dining hall. “Bellweather! Come on!” Raelle called over her shoulder.</p><p>Raelle half-marched, half-jogged across the base with Tally and Abigail in tow. The Necro building came into sight, a few Necro students making their way to it for classes that would start in a few minutes.</p><p>“Raelle, where are we going?” Tally questioned, uncertain.</p><p>“Trust me,” Raelle grunted in response. Down into the building she led her sisters. Her destination was Izadora’s office, which she burst into without so much as announcing herself. Unfortunately, the room was empty.</p><p>Undeterred, and still pulling Tally along behind her, Raelle marched right back into the hall. “Sergeant L’Amara! Sergeant L’Amara!” she called, not caring who she disturbed by doing so.</p><p>The ruckus made a door open and Izadora appeared, wearing a white lab coat. “Corporal Collar, what on earth are you doing?” she questioned.</p><p>“We need to talk… about mushrooms,” Raelle told her, hoping to get her meaning across.</p><p>Izadora was silent for a moment, then looked back into the lab she’d just stepped out of. She had a class to teach. “Go to my office and wait there, while I find someone to instruct this class,” she ordered the trio.</p><p>The Bellweather unit did as they were told, Raelle finally letting go of Tally and letting her walk of her own accord. She led them back to Izadora’s office, where she promptly began pacing while they waited. Her focus was on her left palm, feeling a deep loneliness at the lack of an ‘S’ traced there. At least she knew that Scylla was alive.</p><p>That was a start.</p><p>Finally, after what felt like an eternity – which, in reality, was only a few minutes – Izadora walked into the office. “Alright, Raelle, what’s all this about?” she asked, taking off her white coat and hanging it up.</p><p>“You want us to figure out how to control the witchbomb, and I think I know how to find Scylla and the others,” Raelle told the others. “Bells and I created an explosion with the witchbomb. What if I could use it to help Tally see further?”</p><p>The others in the room openly stared at her.</p><p>No one said a thing.</p><p>“What?” she asked. “It can work, I know it can. We can do this. We can find them and we can save them. Abigail is a blaster, we created a huge explosion. Tally is a knower, maybe the surge of energy can enhance what she sees.”</p><p>“It’s not an improbable theory,” Sergeant L’Amara admitted. “If there is any sort of large-scale side effect, like the explosion, it will be difficult to hide here on base. There is… one place we might contain it to, however.”</p><p>Raelle turned toward Tally, eyes imploring. “You willing to give it a try, Tal?”</p><p>Tally nodded hurriedly. “Yes, of course.”</p><p>“Then come with me.” Izadora met Raelle’s gaze and held it for a moment, then turned to lead them out of her office. They walked down the hall, before rounding a corner to a set of stairs that would take them deeper into the building.</p><p>Raelle’s heart plummeted. She knew where they were going.</p><p>The stone walls were too familiar, given she only remembered seeing them while she was conscious once. The other time she'd been down here, she'd been dragged in and out while unconscious. They followed the hall to a metal sliding door, which Izadora opened. The others walked into the room while Raelle hesitated. She couldn’t make her feet move further forward.</p><p>Abigail noticed first that Raelle was still in the hall. She peeked back out the door. “Come on, shitbird, this was your idea,” she said before seeing just how conflicted her sister really was. “Rae? What’s wrong?”</p><p>Taking a shaky breath, Raelle walked forward. As she stepped into the room, her eyes immediately went to the spot where Scylla had been chained to a chair. The chair was gone, as were the chains. But the feelings remained. “This is where they were holding Scylla,” she said quietly.</p><p>Izadora came to stand in front of her, placing both hands on Raelle’s shoulders. “Don’t hold back the emotion,” she advised. “The last time you managed this, you were in a dire situation with volatile emotions. Forget what I told you in that Fixing class after you Slept everyone. Let your emotions run wild and free.”</p><p>Raelle nodded, gulping down a lungful of air. She approached the center of the room and Tally went to stand with her. They could do this. She could do this.</p><p>Raelle held out her left hand, palm up, for Tally to take. There was no hesitation as the knower took her hand. Neither one of them had any idea what was going to happen, or if anything at all would happen, but they were in this together. Izadora and Abigail stood quietly by the door.</p><p>Closing her eyes, Raelle focused on their joined hands. From that point, she could begin to hear Tally’s heartbeat and her breathing. The Link was the first step.</p><p>What came next?</p><p>Dying. She wasn’t dying this time, though. But someone could, if she didn’t make this work. Someone that she loved could die.</p><p>
  <em>Life becomes death, which becomes life again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Damn it, Scyl, I don’t want your death to become life again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I need you alive now.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I need you back.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I need you.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I love you.</em>
</p><p>Raelle felt Tally’s grip tighten on her hand. They were Linked, she could hear everything that Raelle was thinking. Tally could feel the swirling emotions, like the sea beneath a category five hurricane. Everything was churning and moving and threatening to spill over.</p><p><em>Let it go, Rae</em>. Tally didn’t speak out loud to her, but she felt it.</p><p>And she let go.</p><p>Emotions clawed up and out of the box Raelle had been trying to keep them in. The terrifying fear of losing Scylla, the consuming anger of Scylla being captured, the awful dread that this wasn’t going to be enough, the burning desire to see Scylla again, to hold her and protect her. The seething hatred of the Camarilla for killing her and now trying to take Scylla from her.</p><p>The desperate need to keep Scylla alive. To keep them <em>all</em> alive.</p><p>Everything reared up and swallowed Raelle and Tally whole. And in that moment, behind closed eyes, Raelle saw a bright light. She opened her eyes, looking up at Tally whose own eyes were wide and looking well beyond the room. The white light that she recalled from the witchbomb detonation in China was beneath their feet. Beyond it, black debris wafted up from the ground. She could still see Izadora and Abigail through it – but it was like they were frozen in time, not reacting to what was happening.</p><p>Raelle’s eyes ticked back to the redhead. She could feel energy pulsing between them. “Tal?” she questioned hesitantly.</p><p>“I’m almost there,” Tally told her. “I can feel your Link with Scylla. It’s guiding me.”</p><p>Raelle’s heart hammered away in her chest. Was it really working? She could go kiss that wall-sized death fungus.</p><p>“I can see them,” Tally blurted out, just as excited as Raelle was. “But… they’re being interrogated. The Camarilla are trying to force information about witches out of them, about Fort Salem. A man is traveling north, a man that has experience removing witch vocal cords – they can’t have these ones messed up since they lost all their vocal boxes in China. They have to have someone experienced do it.”</p><p>“You’re doing good, Tal,” Raelle encouraged, placing her free hand over Tally’s. “Can you see where they are?”</p><p>“I’m trying,” the knower answered. “It’s hard. They don’t know where they are. They’re all chained, they’ve got collars on to keep them from using their Work. They were all unconscious when they were moved.”</p><p>“You can do this, Tally. I know you can.”</p><p>Tally’s eyes closed as she put more effort into her sight. “New York. They went from Hardwick to Copake Lake in New York. That’s where they are. There’s a shack near the lake, with a basement.” Her eyes opened again, and she met Raelle’s gaze.</p><p>They’d done it.</p><p>“You did good,” Raelle assured her sister. Slowly, she took her right hand away from Tally’s. This time, it felt safe to break their Link without waiting like she’d done with Abigail. Still, she didn’t break it off quickly. Raelle loosened her grip on Tally’s hand and gradually parted them. When the connection was broken, the light faded away and the black debris wafted away to nothing.</p><p>“I thought we didn’t have time to waste,” Abigail said impatiently.</p><p>“Wait… you didn’t see that?” Raelle asked.</p><p>“See… what?” Bellweather questioned in return.</p><p>“It worked. We know where they are,” Tally said, voice full of hope.</p><p>“It worked? How did you-“ </p><p>Raelle didn’t hear the rest of Izadora’s question. She turned on her heel and ran from the room. Abigail was right, there was no time to waste and Alder needed to organize a rescue mission. <em>Right now</em>.</p><p>She could hear Tally and Abigail both yelling after her, telling her to wait up. But she didn’t slow down. Neither one of them could hope to catch up, either. They weren’t as used to the sprint of shame across the base as Raelle was, desperately trying to beat the last bell when she knew it was way too late. But she still had to try anyway.</p><p>This wasn’t the sprint of shame, though. It was so much more important.</p><p>Raelle made it across the base in record time, getting to the administrative building faster than she could have ever hoped. She bounded up the stairs two at a time, determination the only thing keeping her upright on her feet. Her steps echoed down the hall with each hard slap of her boots against the wood. The couple of officers she ran past yelled at her to slow down, but she refused.</p><p>She didn’t stop until she came to the door to Alder’s office. Skidding to a halt only for half a second, she burst through the door, throwing decorum right out the window.</p><p>Startled, Alder nearly jumped out of her seat, as did the other Biddies who had been sitting. “Corporal Collar!” the general barked. “<em>What</em> is the meaning of this?”</p><p>“I know where Sergeant Quartermaine and the others are being held.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Was that as painful to read as it was to write? Because whew, that was hard.</p><p>And on a similar note, I now have a whole Raylla playlist that might inspire a series of oneshots once this fic is done.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the Bellweather unit embarks on a rescue.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Never thought I’d see the day where I went AWOL,” Abigail commented from behind the steering wheel. </p><p>“Not to mention we kind of… stole a vehicle,” Tally added from the back seat.</p><p>“Borrowed it,” Raelle corrected. Alder hadn’t left them a choice in the matter. The general refused to coordinate a rescue mission on the sole basis that she ‘<em>knew</em>’ this would be a trap. She wouldn’t risk more witches being captured and killed, especially when the Bellweather unit couldn’t tell her exactly how they’d gotten the information.</p><p>So… they’d <em>liberated</em> a Humvee from base and set out on their own. Izadora had insisted that she join the trio, but the unit needed her to have plausible deniability about the whole thing. If anything, this latest questionable decision where Alder was involved only proved to the unit that they needed to keep their cards close to their chest, just like Anacostia and Izadora were doing. They needed to make sure Alder didn’t find out Izadora was helping them.</p><p>“You realize we could get court-martialed for this, right?” Abigail asked.</p><p>“You realize I don’t care, right?” Raelle shot right back. “What’s Alder going to do to us? Demote us? Confine us to base? I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t mind a few weeks of not being sent out to die.”</p><p>“She could strip our pay and our pensions,” Abigail pointed out.</p><p>“Well… cross that bridge when we get to it,” Raelle shrugged.</p><p>“She wouldn’t really do that, would she?” Tally questioned, leaning forward in her seat. “Yeah, we might be disobeying orders, but… we can’t just let Camarilla torture and kill people we care about. How could she think we’d just stand down and let them be killed?”</p><p>“Maybe she didn’t,” Raelle suggested. She certainly wouldn’t put it past Alder to give them direct orders, knowing they would disobey. Given the general’s track record lately, how could they be sure of Alder’s intentions on anything?</p><p>Abigail shot her a quick look before returning her attention to the road. “Why can’t anything be easy with you, shitbird?” she asked.</p><p>“Come on, Abs, I keep your life exciting,” Raelle drawled. “You didn’t want to coast on your family’s name… well, you’re definitely not coasting.”</p><p>“You got that right.” </p><p>The Bellweather unit had fought and fought for every achievement that they had gotten… and at the end of the day, Alder still sabotaged their advancement to War College. Not that it mattered now, with the Camarilla War that was blossoming in such a violent way. Maybe if they managed not to die again, they could advance on to War College afterward.</p><p>Though, Raelle hoped this war changed the landscape of the military. Maybe something good could come from all this pain. An end to conscription and lifelong service… the chance to settle down somewhere and live life the way she wanted to.</p><p>Perhaps it was foolish optimism. Given that she always considered any amount of optimism to be foolish, it certainly had to be. Or maybe, just maybe, Tally was rubbing off on her.</p><p>Scylla surely made Raelle want more to life than dying in the military. And besides that… she had managed to fulfill that desire.</p><p>Been there, done that.</p><p>The drive from Fort Salem to Lake Copake was just north of three and a half hours. Though Raelle had started the journey in easy enough spirits, when Tally started giving Abigail directions, she began to get antsy. She couldn’t help but worry that they’d wasted too much time arguing with Alder. </p><p>What was she going to do if they only found mutilated bodies in the lakeside shack?</p><p>By the time that Tally indicated for Abigail to stop – so that the Camarilla wouldn’t hear the rumble of their vehicle coming – Raelle could practically feel herself vibrating. It was like every single nerve in her body was humming a song, driven by the intense need to save the others. To save Scylla.</p><p>They weren’t too late. They couldn’t be.</p><p>And God help the Camarilla if they were.</p><p>“Uh… Raelle?” Tally asked as the Humvee stopped, a hint of concern in her voice.</p><p>But Raelle didn’t hear her. The soldier’s eyes zeroed in on the shack that matched Tally’s description, the only one at the end of this old, rock road. She didn’t notice the energy rippling off of her, or how her scourge glowed at her side, without even being in her hand.</p><p>“What are we up against, Tal?” Abigail asked when Raelle didn’t acknowledge either of them.</p><p>Tally was silent for a moment. “Two downstairs, two upstairs. They’ve got the same vocal dampener we heard in the warehouse going – they’re still trying to get information.”</p><p>“Okay, so here’s the pla- <em>Raelle!</em>” Abigail never got the chance to lay out a plan for them.</p><p>Raelle jumped out of the Humvee with a plan of her own in mind: fuck up the Camarilla. She ran like Scylla’s life depended on it, thunder in her steps and clouds gathering overhead. Fury gave the world a red tint as the tempest over Copake Lake gained intensity.</p><p>Tunnel vision gave Raelle the benefit of being totally oblivious to how her emotions affected the world around her. But, she did know that it all came to an earth-shattering head as she leapt up the few stairs leading to the shack’s small porch. Without missing a beat, Raelle’s boot connected with the door, shaking the whole structure.</p><p>Breathing heavy and acting on instinct alone, her attention snapped to the startled Camarilla who jumped to their feet. They never had a chance to even try to defend themselves, as Raelle’s scourge arced a deadly streak through the space. The two had only been on their feet for half a second, before dropping motionless to the ground.</p><p>Her eyes darted around the space, looking for where she could hear the screeching coming up from the basement. A few quick steps took her into a small kitchen, and there she found the door to the lower level. When she kicked this door in it splintered and nearly came off its hinges, pieces of wood preceding her down the stairs.</p><p>Raelle hit landing with a thud, having leapt down the last few steps. Her gaze swept over her fellow witches, settling on Scylla: bloodied, bruised, broken in body, but not in mind and spirit. She saw recognition and relief wash over Scylla’s face before her enraged gaze ticked to the terrified Camarilla. </p><p>The man was going for a hot iron poker to defend himself, while the woman wielded an already bloodied, curved knife. But there was no hope for them.</p><p>Not even the screeching vocal dampener stood a chance against the Windstrike that tore itself out of her throat, just like the storm and fury Bellweather was always going on about. The Windstrike was explosive, tearing a path in the stone floor and wooden ceiling as it flew across the space. The two Camarilla were thrown back, smashing hard enough into the wall behind them that there was simply no way they could have survived. The strike smashed the wall that the Camarilla hit, pushing the shack’s foundation into the earth that it was meant to hold at bay.</p><p>Such an incredible piece of Work left Raelle feeling a little deflated. All that rage she’d felt was channeled into it, leaving a sudden vacuum in its wake. Still, there was no time to stop. She turned and grabbed the speaker that was emitting the ear-splitting shrieking and threw it at the wall.</p><p>In the silence, Raelle jogged over to the Camarilla’s bodies, searching both their pockets until she found keys to the shackles holding the others. As soon as she found them, she scrambled back to her feet and immediately went to Scylla.</p><p>“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” she assured Scylla, though her voice was just a little unsteady.</p><p>“I knew you’d find me,” Scylla replied quietly.</p><p>As Raelle reached up and unlocked the shackles, she heard Tally and Abigail coming down the stairs. “Holy… <em>shit</em>,” Abigail commented, seeing the state of the basement.</p><p>When the second shackle came undone, Scylla’s knees gave out with the suddenness of her weight being placed back on them. Raelle caught her though, easing them both toward the ground. “I’m here, I’m with you,” she promised Scylla. She then held out the keys for Abigail and Tally. “Here, get the others down.”</p><p>Her sisters were quick to task, working together to get the other three witches out of their bonds.</p><p>Raelle gathered Scylla into her arms, grabbing her left hand with her own. “I can fix this, Scyl. I just need you to breathe with me, okay? Just breathe.” A Link was so easy to form between them, it was practically second nature. “<em>Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thine, as thou art mine. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the hand of my righteousness</em>.” It wasn’t a verse she’d used before, but it felt right – and it worked.</p><p>Raelle watched the pain and discomfort slipped away from Scylla’s features. It felt like the first time she’d taken a full breath in days. Raelle leaned down and pressed the tenderest of kisses to Scylla’s lips, afraid that too much pressure might shatter the other woman, even though she’d just healed her. Her chin trembled when Scylla’s hand reached up and cupped her cheek.</p><p>“Raelle,” Tally’s hand touched her shoulder, “the others.”</p><p>Scylla was the one to pull back from the kiss at the reminder. “It’s okay, I’m okay,” she nodded. “Help them.”</p><p>Raelle helped Scylla sit back up, and got her to where she could rest back against the wall. When she was sure that Scylla would be okay without her for a couple minutes, she went over and crouched by Anacostia. She offered the sergeant her hand. “It’s outside military canon,” she pointed out. Right now was probably not the time for dry humor, but what else would Quartermaine expect from her.</p><p>“I’ll let it slide this once, Corporal,” Anacostia replied, taking Raelle’s hand.</p><p>One corner of Raelle’s mouth twitched up into the briefest of smiles. “<em>Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you</em>.”</p><p>After helping Sergeant Quartermaine, Raelle moved down the line to her mother. She wouldn’t meet Willa’s eyes, looking off to the side as she offered her hand. Her lips pursed tightly when she felt her mom’s hand fall into hers. </p><p>“<em>Ask and it</em>-“ Raelle hesitated as Willa spoke the words with her. She didn’t need the woman’s help. But she continued anyway. “<em>And it shall be given you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you</em>.”</p><p>With her work done, Raelle immediately tried to move on. However, Willa gripped her hand to keep her in place a moment longer. “Your gifts are extraordinary, Rae,” her mother praised.</p><p>“Don’t call me that,” Raelle replied, annoyed. She tugged her hand away so she could get up and go help Bridey. Willa didn’t get to just come along after letting her think she was dead for more than a year, and act like everything was fine between them. It would never be fine again.</p><p>The ceiling above them creaked and groaned while Raelle was healing Bridey’s injuries. Her Windstrike had damaged the integrity of the structure that they were in.</p><p>“Rae, we have to get them out of here,” Abigail said as Raelle finished with Bridey.</p><p>“Then let’s get out of this place,” Raelle replied, getting up. She went right back to Scylla, helping her back to her feet.</p><p>They all got out of the shack before the supports started to give way. The storm that had gathered above Copake Lake vanished as quickly as it had come. The sun was shining down on them, unfiltered. It had the witches that had been held captive squinting against the brightness.</p><p>“Wait,” Anacostia said, once she’d got a good look around. “Did General Alder send you three by yourselves?”</p><p>The Bellweather unit all looked at one another.</p><p>“Well…”</p><p>“You see…”</p><p>“Here’s the thing…”</p><p>A pause.</p><p>“General Alder may have given us direct orders not to leave base and come rescue you,” Raelle finally offered up.</p><p>“Goddess,” Bridey breathed, shocked at the admission and the blatant disregard for the General of the Army’s direct orders. Not that she was ungrateful.</p><p>“She said it was too risky, she didn’t want to send anyone else into what she assumed was a trap. And we… disagreed,” Tally defended herself and her sisters.</p><p>Anacostia seemed to suddenly realize something. “And just <em>how</em> did you know where we were?” she questioned.</p><p>Another shared glance between the Bellweather unit.</p><p>“Mushrooms,” Raelle shrugged, knowing only Anacostia and Scylla would understand the answer.</p><p>As they came upon the Humvee, Abigail took her spot behind the wheel again, and this time Tally took the front passenger seat. Anacostia, Bridey, and Willa filled the second row. Raelle and Scylla tucked themselves away in the very back of the vehicle.</p><p>It was just as well, the two could stretch out and Raelle could hold Scylla in her arms. Scylla was cuddled into her side, head resting against her chest right over her heart. Raelle’s back rested against the interior wall of the vehicle, more than happy to be Scylla’s pillow. She craned her neck to place a kiss atop dark hair.</p><p>The ride out to Copake Lake had been a long one, but it felt like it took only minutes for Fort Salem to come into sight. At the base’s gate, MPs were waiting for them.</p><p>“Well, shitbird, looks like we’re crossing that bridge now,” Abigail called from the front seat.</p><p>Raelle shifted a bit and Scylla’s head lifted, so she could get a look out the front. “Great.” The word was tipped with sarcasm.</p><p>“Raelle,” Scylla spoke quietly.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Raelle assured her. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Scylla’s lips. “Whatever happens, you’re worth it.”</p><p>The Humvee came to a stop and the MPs that had been waiting immediately went to each door and yanked them open. “Corporals Bellweather! Craven! Collar! Step out and relinquish your scourges, immediately!” the orders were barked by more than one MP.</p><p>“It’s okay,” Raelle assured Scylla one more time before climbing out of the vehicle. Her scourge was yanked out of her hand as soon as her feet hit the pavement – Abigail and Tally treated similarly. Each member of the Bellweather unit was taken by the arm and led away from the Humvee, while one MP remained behind to take those that had been captured to the infirmary.</p><p>The MPs marched them straight to the administrative building. Others on base that they passed by stopped and stared openly, whispered with one another.</p><p>The group didn’t stop until they were inside Alder’s office. The general was waiting for them, stone-faced as ever. Even the Biddies were quiet, unreadable.</p><p>Alder met the eyes of the MPs. “Get out,” she ordered.</p><p>Each of them turned on their heels and filed out of the office. Tally, Abigail, and Raelle were each at crisp, clean attention, staring straight ahead of themselves. They didn’t shift, didn’t falter. They knew this was a possibility. An eventuality.</p><p>If Alder was trying to use the silence to unnerve them, it didn’t work. A full fifteen minutes went by without so much as a fidget from the unit.</p><p>“Have you three anything to say for yourselves?” Alder asked.</p><p>“No, ma’am,” they answered together.</p><p>“Did you not understand the orders I gave you? Did I stutter when I directly ordered you to remain on base, to let go of any notions of a rescue mission?” Alder pressed.</p><p>“We fully heard and understood your orders,” Raelle spoke up defiantly. “And we decided that those were orders we could not obey. So, we elected to ignore them.”</p><p>“I believe what Collar is trying to say,” Abigail said, before Alder could retort, “is that the military has taught us loyalty to our fellow soldiers. We couldn't stand aside while our CO was tortured and killed, nor Sergeant Bridey, nor our Spree allies.”</p><p>“We couldn’t reconcile abandoning them, General Alder,” Tally added. “No one gets left behind, ma’am.”</p><p>“Except soldiers who attempt to save children in foreign countries.” Raelle was never going to let Alder live that day in China down.</p><p>Her outburst earned her a glare and a round of hisses from the Biddies. “You will mind your tone, soldiers,” Alder warned them all. “You have let your personal attachments influence your actions. You put yourselves directly in danger, and disobeyed direct orders from your general. You refuse to share how you got your information in the first place, and had no way to verify that it wasn’t a set up or a trap. That is not how this military operates, ladies. You have disregarded and disobeyed more orders through training and now as infantry than I have seen any unit in decades.”</p><p>“We’ve also each been ready to sacrifice everything for this country, for the military, for you,” Abigail replied. Her response surprised Raelle, honestly. The perfect military poster child, sassing the General of the Army.</p><p>“Can you give me a <em>single</em> reason not to demote you for going AWOL and have you confined to quarters?” Alder questioned them.</p><p>There was silence for a moment, though that didn’t mean there was no communication happening. The unit had a unique bond, they didn’t need words to get their points across to one another.</p><p>“A man named Johannsen is coming up from Mississippi, en route to Copake Lake,” Tally finally spoke, offering up the information she’d seen with Raelle’s help. “The Camarilla were holding Sergeant Quartermaine and the others until he arrived, to ensure no damage would be done to their vocal cords during extraction. He’s important.”</p><p>“You expect me to take unverifiable intel from you to base future decisions and missions on?” Alder shook her head.</p><p>“When has Tally ever been wrong?” Raelle defended her sister. “She’s a Knower. She knows things.”</p><p>“And that’s supposed to be enough?” Alder certainly wasn’t making this easy on them. She had the advantage here, and she was pressing for the information she knew that they had, but wouldn’t give up.</p><p>Another moment of silence. Another bout of unspoken communication.</p><p>“There’s something else,” Abigail offered. “About their audio vocal dampening.”</p><p>Raelle took a breath. She had to trust her sisters in this. They were a unit; they faced the consequences of their actions together. And they got themselves out of the hole they’d dug themselves into together. They had to give a little bit, in order to keep their bigger secrets to themselves.</p><p>“Well?” Alder asked.</p><p>“Raelle beat it,” Bellweather stated.</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“When we got to the lakeside shack that the Camarilla were holed up in. Tally told us that the Camarilla had the audio playing as part of their torture,” Abigail recounted. “During the rescue, Raelle was able to produce the strongest Windstrike I have ever seen, while that screeching was still being played.”</p><p>The story was a little embellished, but as a necessity. Abigail and Tally had only come in during the aftermath. Still, there was no denying the destruction that Raelle’s Windstrike had left in its wake.</p><p>Alder’s attention flashed to Raelle. “How? How did you overcome it?”</p><p>Jaw set, Raelle’s eyes ticked over to meet Alder’s. “I was furious, and I didn’t even <em>try</em> to control it.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which Raelle and Anacostia face their own confrontations.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Raelle studied the beautiful face next to hers in the early morning light. Scylla’s sleep had been a little rough, but Raelle wasn’t surprised. She’d gone through a lot. So, the soldier maintained her vigilant watch through the night, soothing away the fears that unsettled Scylla while she rested.</p><p>She would have to go soon, even though this was the only place in the world she wanted to be.</p><p>Raelle lifted a hand, tracing the slope of Scylla’s jaw with a feather-light touch before leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. She felt Scylla kiss her back, humming against her lips. The necro shifted closer in her hold.</p><p>“Good morning, beautiful,” Raelle said with a smile as she pulled back from the kiss.</p><p>Scylla opened those gorgeous blue eyes that stole Raelle’s breath away. “Morning, yourself.” She made herself a bit more comfortable in Raelle’s arms before settling contently. “Did you sleep?”</p><p>“A little,” Raelle answered. And it wasn’t a total lie… if occasionally resting one’s eyes counted. “Wanted to make sure you’re okay.”</p><p>“I’m always okay with you,” Scylla replied.</p><p>Raelle pressed a kiss to Scylla’s forehead. “My Pop wants to meet you.”</p><p>“Been talking about me?” Scylla asked, sounding amused.</p><p>“To everyone that’ll listen.” Raelle reached between them to take Scylla’s hand, lacing their fingers together.</p><p>“Mhm, and what did you tell him about me?” Scylla lifted their joined hands so she could kiss Raelle’s knuckles.</p><p>“That I love you,” Raelle answered easily. “That I found the most beautiful girl in the world, with the most gorgeous eyes, and I knew that I had to make her mine – and I wanted to be hers. And even though things got hard there for a minute, I know that it’s all been real. For both of us. Once this is all done, I’ll leave my medal hanging on the door and let the birds sing my goodbyes, and we’ll go live on the beach – near a lighthouse, because it’s the safest place you’ve ever been.”</p><p>Scylla’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, mouth working to try and keep emotion at bay. “Well, you were wrong about one thing,” she pointed out. “Right here is the safest place I’ve ever been.”</p><p>Raelle felt warmth spread through her chest at the admission. “You want to come to the Cession with me, when I can take leave?” She would understand if Scylla didn’t want to. Parents weren’t the happiest of subjects for her to talk about, to deal with. But she knew her dad would really like Scylla, and she hoped that Scylla would like her dad.</p><p>“I’d like that,” Scylla nodded before leaning in for another kiss.</p><p>Without breaking the kiss, the two shifted until Scylla was on her back, Raelle hovering above her. Their bodies slotted together naturally, they fit together so well. Outside, they could hear the bells begin to toll.</p><p>Scylla pulled back from their kiss. “Bells are ringing,” she whispered against Raelle’s lips.</p><p>Raelle nudged Scylla’s nose with her own. “Let them ring. I want to stay with you,” she replied. “I want <em>you</em>.”</p><p>“Soldiers that shirk their duties don’t get leave,” Scylla pointed out with a warm smile. “And I can’t meet your Pop if you don’t get leave.”</p><p>Raelle chuckled. “You’re so smart.” She swooped in to bring their lips together once more, unable to resist the temptation. She knew how hard it had to be for Scylla to tell her to go be a good little soldier; knew how much Scylla hated the army. If it hadn’t been clear before, then finding out she was Spree really drove it home. </p><p>But, they were both in this fight now. Each of them part of a faction that hated the other – but they loved one another.</p><p>The bells had stopped by the time Raelle pulled back from their kiss. “I should go.”</p><p>“How many times do I have to tell you that?” Scylla questioned.</p><p>“You’re so beautiful,” Raelle complimented.</p><p>“Is that the only line you’ve got, Corporal?”</p><p>“It’s gotten me this far.” Even as Raelle shifted to get out of bed, she captured Scylla’s lips in another kiss. It wasn’t until her feet were firmly planted on the floor that they actually separated. “Lunch? At the elm?”</p><p>“Why... are you asking me on a date, Corporal Collar?” Scylla teased playfully.</p><p>Raelle thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, you know what? I am,” she confirmed.</p><p>Scylla didn’t leave her waiting in suspense. “Lunch, at the elm.”</p><p>Raelle’s face broke into the brightest of smiles as she leaned down for just one more kiss. Finally, she pulled away and started backing toward the door. “I’ll see you at lunch.”</p><p>“I’ll see you at lunch,” Scylla nodded.</p><p>Raelle bumped the door as she backed away, making Scylla laugh and roll her eyes at her. Chuckling at herself, Raelle turned around and headed out the door, securing it behind herself. She would have preferred to spend the day with Scylla, but they could have lunch together and she could spend the night in Scylla’s bed again.</p><p>She followed the hall to the stairs, heading down to the first floor. On her way to the main door, she saw her mom step out of an office several feet ahead of herself. They both stopped in their tracks, like deer caught in headlights. What a way to kill her good mood.</p><p>Raelle sniffed once, swiping her thumb beneath her nose before shoving both hands in her pockets. She was the one to start moving first, stepping forward with forced confidence and an uncaring air. If she could just make it to the door…</p><p>“Raelle,” Willa called for her gently.</p><p>Raelle’s feet stopped and she heaved out an unhappy breath. “What?” she asked, annoyed.</p><p>“We should talk,” Willa replied. “We need to talk.”</p><p>“About what? Maybe about Pop?” Raelle asked, feeling righteous fury building in her chest. “He knows, by the way. He knows you’re alive. I told him.” Her words were meant to scratch, to wound, to inflict even an ounce of the pain that Willa had afforded her and her father for more than a year. “I didn’t tell him that you’re Spree. You can break his heart again with that little bit.”</p><p>Willa deflated, Raelle’s stinging words hitting their mark. “Raelle, I never meant to hurt you,” she told her daughter. “All I ever wanted was to protect you, to keep you from seeing the horrors of the frontlines. I didn’t want the military to take from you, everything it took from me.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, it’s too late for that,” Raelle fired back. “I don’t need you to protect me. When I did need my mom, she was gone.”</p><p>“Raelle,” Willa pleaded.</p><p>“I’ve got training,” Raelle shook her head, marching forward again. “Some of us have responsibilities.”</p><p>- - - - - - - -</p><p>The office was quiet as Anacostia waited for Alder to speak to her, or even acknowledge her presence. The general was sitting at her desk, writing something in one of her many journals. Truth be told, the silence was a little unnerving. And it took a lot to unnerve Sergeant Quartermaine.</p><p>“Bellweather unit disobeyed direct orders from me, to launch your rescue mission,” Alder finally spoke, not looking up from the page she was writing on.</p><p>Ah, so that’s what this was about. Anacostia expected as much. “Were I here to do so, I would have warned them against it,” she replied.</p><p>“They are loyal, nearly to a fault,” Alder stated, looking up and leaning back in her chair. “Disobeying orders from the General of the Army, it’s dangerous. They’re reckless.”</p><p>“You told me, a few months ago, that you’d taken an interest in them,” Anacostia pointed out. “You know as well as I do that those girls are special. They each excel in their given specialty far and away beyond any others in their year. Far and away beyond some seasoned officers, ma’am. And if the rest of us had half as much conviction as they do…”</p><p>“Hm,” Alder hummed thoughtfully. “Then we wouldn’t be in the position that the military currently finds itself in, is that it?”</p><p>Anacostia opened her mouth to reply, but Alder held up a hand to cut her off. Instead, the general continued to speak. “Bellweather unit is withholding information. I know they are. There’s more to what happened in China. There’s more to how Corporal Craven located you and the others. Have they said anything to you?”</p><p>The sergeant kept her face impassive, breathing nice and even. General Alder was on to them, and it was going to force her to outright lie to Alder. “No, ma’am,” she shook her head. </p><p>Silence filled the space between them again. Sarah visually scrutinized her, looking for treachery. “Very few things happen on this base without my knowledge, Sergeant Quartermaine,” Alder eventually spoke again.</p><p>Anacostia heard it for what it really was: a threat. A promise that Alder had eyes and ears everywhere, even when they thought they were alone. “Yes, ma’am,” was all she offered as a response.</p><p>“Collar went to the infirmary before graduation,” Alder told her. “Something about a strange substance on her finger. They thought it could be breakbone or ague. Both terrible in their own right. But… nothing came of it. The strangest sample Colonel Wick and the others had ever seen, and then… nothing. Does that strike you as strange?”</p><p>“It is strange,” Anacostia cautiously agreed. “She never told me anything about it. But it must not be a problem anymore? I’ve noticed nothing wrong with her.”</p><p>“Sergeant Quartermaine,” Alder addressed her again by her title, rather than her first name. It nearly made Anacostia shift her weight uncomfortably. “The strength of our military is our ability to act as one, cohesive unit. It resides in our ability to trust everyone around us; for individuals to lean on that cohesive whole and find their strength in it. If factions begin to break away from that whole, then everything begins to splinter apart, risking the structural integrity. If we are fractured, if we do not use <em>everything</em> at our disposal, the Camarilla will win. Do you understand?”</p><p>“Yes, ma’am, I understand,” Anacostia answered. “Anything I learn from the Bellweather unit will be passed on to you, of course.” </p><p>If her loyalty to Alder was in question, she needed to fix it as swiftly and decisively as possible. However, by the way that the general looked at her, she knew Alder was unconvinced. Something must have reached her ear, something she knew Anacostia was keeping from her. But what? And by whom? They’d been so careful.</p><p>“You witnessed Corporal Collar beat the Camarilla’s vocal dampener?” Alder asked. It was the thinnest of lifelines, a single bare thread, thrown out to her to keep their bond tethered, no matter how tenuously.</p><p>“I did. She was more determined than I have ever seen her.” Anacostia decided to leave out the part that she knew exactly what drove Raelle’s determination. They didn’t need Alder trying to use Scylla to manipulate Raelle. That would end badly for… everyone.</p><p>“That would be useful in our fight against the Camarilla. It is one edge they currently have on us.” Alder stood up from her desk, walking around it to approach Anacostia. “I want you to work with Corporal Collar to replicate that achievement, so that we can learn the technique and teach it to others. It will save lives.”</p><p>Well, it wasn’t ideal, but trying to overcome a vocal dampener was better than trying to figure out how to make Raelle witchbomb on command. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll begin with Collar immediately.”</p><p>Alder looked her over, sizing Anacostia up. She wasn’t content, Anacostia knew that much. If they weren’t careful, they’d all end up chained in the Necro basement, information forced out of them. </p><p>“You are one of the best drill sergeants we’ve had in decades, Anacostia,” Alder surprisingly praised. But it was short-lived. “But you have an increasingly large weak spot for the ones that come in as orphans, or from broken homes, or simply those who need a steady mother figure in their lives. Don’t make me rethink your current position.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright, folks, this was one was a bit shorter to tie up some loose ends before we move on. You can expect us to make a jump forward in time starting with the next chapter. I have a very clear endgame in mind for this story (the epilogue may or may not already be written and may or may not be beautiful imho), but I'm not exactly sure how many more chapters it will wind up being. I will be sure to keep you informed as we near the end.</p><p>But for now, you're all stuck on this ride with me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which... all hail Samhain.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The landscape of the world had begun to change around them, in the few months since the beginning of the Camarilla War. There was no way to hide who they were fighting, even if Alder tried to pass their operations off as being against the Spree. The Camarilla had publicly announced themselves, and still occasionally hijacked a major news network's broadcast to show the whole world their executions. </p><p>The “us versus them” mentality of the Camarilla was polarizing. Of course, there were civilians that were drawn into the fire and brimstone hate speech spewed by the Camarilla, it was simply inevitable. Human nature.</p><p>But, there was a surprising number that rallied to the defense of those that defended them. Conversations were being had by society at large, wondering if the Salem Accord had run its course. After all, would the Spree have ever been formed, if witches weren’t forced to serve in the military industrial complex? Would the Camarilla have come back with such strength, were witches not militarized into weapons? It wasn’t for fear of witches that the discussion of the dissolution of the Accord was gaining traction, but for their benefit.</p><p>As civilians became more outspoken in support of witches, the Camarilla only doubled down. Anyone who sided with witches was an enemy of the Camarilla, and the Camarilla promised that those sympathizers were in just as much danger as witches.</p><p>It was, indeed, a strange thing to watch all these happenings and have no say in the matter. Those that were serving could continue to only do just that: serve.</p><p>And yet, some of them were serving more than others. Ever since Bellweather unit had disobeyed direct orders from Alder, the general had placed them on the bench. They hadn’t been sent out for a single mission since. Where Alder had been sending them out for every mission, they had come to a grinding halt. In fact, many operations within the army had come to a grinding halt. On more than one occasion since then, President Wade had to pressure General Alder to assist their allies in the fight against the Camarilla. Alder was trying to play this war close to home, to protect their own. The Hague threatened to dissolve, the alliances between countries was on the verge of crumbling. It was the president that had to step in and make sure it all didn’t collapse.</p><p>One thing, thankfully, had remained steady and true as the world started to shift: waking up to a warm body beside her. Raelle felt a puff of warm air dance across her chest as she woke up. Scylla’s head rested on her shoulder, a hand nestled over the scar above her heart – almost like a shield.</p><p>A content sigh escaped her lips as she craned her neck so she could press a kiss to Scylla’s forehead. The light brush of her lips made Scylla shift, and though moving closer together was near impossible, somehow she managed.</p><p>“Stay,” Scylla whispered.</p><p>“I’ve got training, beautiful,” Raelle reminded her. “But not all day. Before dinner, I’m going with Tally and Abigail to the cemetery to lay flowers. You want to come?”</p><p>“Mm, rah rah, unit unity,” Scylla said, content to keep Raelle trapped where she was.</p><p>“You like them,” Raelle pointed out teasingly. “And they like you.”</p><p>“I think I’m going to forego that particular Samhain festivity,” Scylla told her. “You spend that time with your sisters.”</p><p>Raelle didn’t press the subject any further. “I’ll find you after,” she promised. </p><p>Finally, Scylla moved, propping herself up on one arm, making the sheet covering them slip down. She leaned in and brought their lips together. Her fingertips gently caressed the scar on Raelle’s chest – it was a reminder for both of them of just how close they’d been to losing this. To losing <em>them</em>.</p><p>Raelle lifted a hand to the back of Scylla’s neck, pressing against her witch’s mark. This was always the hardest part of the day, having to say goodbye.</p><p>Outside, the bells began to ring.</p><p>“I gotta go,” Raelle spoke against Scylla’s lips.</p><p>Scylla’s first response was to dive in for another kiss, hot and full of desire. But that scorching passion was gone nearly as quick as it came, as she pulled away with a mischievous grin. “Go, then,” she told Raelle.</p><p>“That’s not fair and you know it,” Raelle pouted.</p><p>“Of course, I do,” Scylla confirmed. She moved so that she was no longer on Raelle, instead laying on her side.</p><p>Raelle puffed out a breath before slipping out of bed. She hunted down her clothes, shimmying into them quick as she could so she could make it back in time for training. There was no doubt Scylla’s eyes were on her, and a quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that feeling. It made her grin like a fool – a fool in love. “Enjoying the view?”</p><p>“Always,” Scylla answered. “You’re so beautiful.”</p><p>“Hey, that’s my line,” Raelle chuckled.</p><p>“It’s a good one,” the necro shrugged.</p><p>Once she was fully dressed, Raelle went back to the bed to sneak in one more kiss. She didn’t linger long, she didn’t have time to. “I’ll see you tonight,” she promised Scylla. “I love you.”</p><p>“I love you, too,” Scylla replied as Raelle headed for the door.</p><p>Raelle heard the second set of bells begin as she stepped out into the hall. It sped up her steps, bringing her to a jog through the Spree’s building. She promised Tally and Abigail she wouldn’t be late today, that way they wouldn’t have to be late to the Samhain festivities. Her unit sisters were both excited about having even a short time that wasn’t about readying for the Camarilla, about being briefed on the hateful group’s activities… To have just a little bit of time to be witches.</p><p>Luckily, by the last toll of the third bell, Raelle was with Tally and Abigail, heading off to training. The whole campus was abuzz with cautious excitement – cautious optimism. Samhain was another important holiday for them and maybe, just maybe, the world would let them celebrate.</p><p>If Beltane was life, Samhain was death. But death wasn’t the end.</p><p><em>Life becomes death, which becomes life again</em>.</p><p>Samhain was meant to honor those that died before them. It was a way for witches to bond with the dead and with one another – because they all had someone they’d lost. Beltane brought them together physically, Samhain brought them together spiritually.</p><p>In the spirit of Samhain, which began in hours, training was surprisingly lax. It was a breeze to get through the day. Before Raelle even realized it, training was over and she was accompanying her sisters while they picked some flowers from one of the base’s gardens.</p><p>“Rae, are you going to take any?” Tally asked as she plucked one more white chrysanthemum to add to her small bouquet.</p><p>“No,” Raelle shook her head. </p><p>Abigail came up beside her, swinging an arm around her shoulders. “Necro coming?”</p><p>“Not for this,” Raelle answered, leaning into Abigail while they waited for Tally. “I’ll find her afterward. I’m sure she’ll come eat and have drinks with us.”</p><p>“Okay, I’m ready,” Tally announced once she was done fiddling with the flowers in her hands. She came around Raelle’s other side, linking arms with the blonde as the three headed for the fort’s cemetery.</p><p>When they got there, plenty of other soldiers were there as well, with the exact same intentions as they had. The cemetery was full of more color than any of them had ever seen. Small bouquets of flowers were left on top of graves, some soldiers had even smuggled their bread rolls out of the mess hall at lunch to leave alongside the flowers. It was also common to offer a draught of water, as well.</p><p>The unit went and found Tally’s aunts first, and she left them each a few flowers by their headstones. A few moments of silence were spent with each one, as well, for Tally to reminisce. When they moved on, Raelle and Tally followed Abigail to the Bellweather graves she wanted to visit. Abigail picked a couple of the family members she’d been closest to, including Charvel, but the last was reserved for the very first Bellweather to serve in the military – the one who had come into the military as a slave.</p><p>It was there they lingered the longest.</p><p>“She’s proud of you, Abs,” Raelle said quietly, taking her sister’s hand.</p><p>“How can she not be?” Tally agreed, throwing an arm around Abigail in a side hug.</p><p>“Thanks,” Abigail told them. “Let’s go get changed so we can start enjoying the rest of the night.”</p><p>Like Beltane, Samhain was a night that they could get out of their military uniforms and enjoy the smallest taste of freedom. It was a night for loose-fitting, flowing clothes, which would let the crisp edges of autumn winds nip at them. It allowed for freedom of movement, if they decided to dance that night. It also replicated the thinning of the veil between themselves and the spirit world, as their clothes were a thin veil between them and the world around them.</p><p>By the time they were ready to head down to the meadow where the night’s festivities were to commence, it was already dark out.</p><p>“I’ll meet you there,” Raelle told Abigail and Tally. “I’m going to go find Scylla. We’ll be there soon.”</p><p>“Don’t take too long!” Abigail called after her as she headed out the door.</p><p>Despite the sun already having gone down, there were plenty of witches out and about on base that evening. Everyone was dressed in a mix of the same colors: black, white, gold, silver, or orange. They were colors traditional of the holiday.</p><p>Even the Spree, who mostly kept to themselves within Fort Salem, were out and mingling with their military counterparts. It was the most civil Raelle had ever seen the two groups. And to think, all it took was a war that threatened all their lives.</p><p>Raelle had nearly made it to the Spree building when she caught a glimpse of Scylla, dressed in white and gold and a splash of black. She looked like a beacon in the night, like she could be the moon goddess, walking amongst mortals for the night.</p><p>Scylla was a vision that stole all the air out of Raelle’s lungs, and made her forget how to walk. As if on cue, Scylla spotted her and smiled. “Hey,” she greeted as she walked over.</p><p>“Scyl, you are… gorgeous,” Raelle managed to stammer out, eyes wide as she took in the sight.</p><p>The sincerity of the compliment tinted Scylla’s cheek a light shade of pink and she ducked her head before composing herself again. “You’re not so bad, yourself,” she replied.</p><p>Raelle had dressed in mostly black, with silver streaks highlighting her outfit. She offered her arm to Scylla. “Abigail and Tally are waiting for us.”</p><p>“Then by all means, lead the way,” Scylla replied as she linked their arms together.</p><p>Everyone that was participating in the night’s festivities headed for the meadow in front of Memorial Hall. There was a set up similar to the Mead and Greet event during Beltane. Low sitting tables and cushions littered the area, the tables laden with seasonal foods and plenty to drink. There were plenty of pitchers of mulled cider, and though there were fewer of them, even ale was available to the soldiers. The tables were piled high with apples and pears at the center, and scattered around the tower of fruits were platters of meats and cheese, various types of bread, seasonal berries, and pumpkin sweet rolls.</p><p>By the time Raelle and Scylla got there, arm in arm, Tally and Abigail were already halfway through their first drinks. Tally looked up first, surprised and perhaps a little flustered – which made Raelle have to wonder if they’d already broken into the ale. “Wow… you two look… <em>really</em> good together,” Tally complimented.</p><p>Raelle grinned as she and Scylla sat down together. Drinks were immediately set in front of them. “Thanks, Tal,” she told the redhead.</p><p>There was plenty of chatter going on around them from witches at other tables. They were all situated around a main focal point in the meadow: a large bonfire that cast a warm glow across the entire outdoor space. There were other, smaller fires scattered about the perimeter, to make sure everyone could see where they were going.</p><p>“Doesn’t this all seem a little… distasteful?” Scylla questioned. “Witches are being burned alive and here we are, having a grand old time with a big bonfire roaring around us.”</p><p>“This is just like Beltane,” Abigail told her. “We have to honor our customs. They make us who and what we are. And Beltane went just fine.”</p><p>“Because Spree didn’t attack witches,” Scylla pointed out, perking a challenging brow at Abigail. “And Spree don’t hate witches with a seething passion.”</p><p>Raelle hated to admit that Samhain would be a perfect opportunity for the Camarilla to make a move. But Fort Salem was heavily guarded. This was the one place in the world they could be, and be safe.</p><p>“There are double the amount of guards on the perimeter,” Abigail reasoned, rising to Scylla’s challenge. “If something happens, we’ll know.”</p><p>“You guys, let’s not dwell on the what-ifs,” Tally suggested, grabbing one of the sweet rolls. “We’ve got food, we’ve got good company. Let’s just enjoy the night and not talk about the Camarilla anymore. That’s all we do, every other day. Tonight is just for us.”</p><p>It was a reasonable enough request, one that they could all get behind. So, they ate and drank – then did it all over again. With each bite, each swig of alcohol or cider, they loosened up. They laughed and joked, enjoyed each other’s company.</p><p>The looming threat of the Camarilla was swept away on the breeze, leaving witches young and old to relax and enjoy the holiday.</p><p>After perhaps one too many cups of ale, Raelle grabbed Scylla’s hand and dragged her to her feet. She led Scylla away from the table, out toward the open space between the bonfire and the sitting area. Others were already out there dancing, moving to the beat of the music that came from no single distinct point, but filled up the air around them.</p><p>Scylla laughed as their bodies all but crashed into one another, but they easily slipped into rhythmic time with the music playing. “I’m beginning to think you’ve had one too many drinks, Corporal Collar,” she teased.</p><p>Raelle chuckled in response. “I could be blind drunk and I’d still wanna dance with you,” she replied. “You’re so beautiful. Even the goddess has got to be jealous of you tonight.”</p><p>Scylla’s cheeks flushed a darker tint of red this time and she leaned into the blonde, hiding her face in the crook of Raelle’s neck.</p><p>Raelle smiled as Tally and Abigail came out to join them in their revelry. It felt like maybe, just maybe, everything was going to be alright. They were all together, all safe, and all enjoying themselves for the first night since graduation.</p><p>It was the power of Samhain.</p><p>Time passed without any of them paying attention to just how long they’d been dancing. But suddenly, Tally stopped in her tracks, making Abigail run right into her. The Knower’s eyes widened in horror as she looked off in the distance. “Guys,” she called warily.</p><p>The way she spoke had the other three stopping dead as well. “What is it, Tal?” Abigail asked.</p><p>Raelle had a sinking feeling. The air was humming with something unnatural. Even with the music playing, she could hear something else – something that was wrong.</p><p>Something they had heard in China.</p><p>“They’re here,” Tally told them.</p><p>“Oh… <em>shit</em>,” Raelle breathed. Whatever pleasant buzz she’d had just seconds before was washed away as adrenaline dumped itself into her blood stream.</p><p>Fort Salem was under attack.</p><p>It was impossible.</p><p>It was <em>happening</em>.</p><p>“The Camarilla are here!” Abigail shouted above the music and the partying. “We’re under attack!”</p><p>The warning got everyone’s attention, and the music cut off suddenly. No one was properly armed. They weren’t equipped for a fight.</p><p>It was the perfect time for the Camarilla to strike.</p><p>That bastard song the Camarilla used in China replaced the sound of music and an unnatural yellow fog began to roll in. People began shouting, began panicking. If they didn’t remain calm, they would separate, make themselves easy targets.</p><p>A siren began to scream, one that hadn’t been used in decades – if it had ever been used at all. It was the siren to indicate they were under direct attack, to warn everyone on base quickly and efficiently. It would bring more soldiers into the fray, but they would need time to get there.</p><p>“Don’t run!” Raelle yelled. “Stay together! We can fight back, there’s strength in numbers!”</p><p>“<em>You created your own pyres for us, how thoughtful</em>,” a distorted, male voice boomed from somewhere in the fog. “<em>We will see them well used – for tonight, the wicked will perish!”</em></p><p>There were screams as the Camarilla must have been closing in, going after those along the edges of what had been the Samhain celebration. If they didn’t do something quick, this could turn into a massacre.</p><p>“We have to clear out this fog, we can’t see them!” Abigail told them.</p><p>“Raelle! Behind you!” Tally warned.</p><p>Realle spun just in time to catch a blade-wielding hand before it connected with her. She kicked her attacker in the stomach, then wrenched their arm in a direction that no arm was meant to go. In another swift move, she kicked their feet out from under them, and followed through with a solid hit to their face once they were on the ground. She grabbed the fallen knife, at least one small piece of physical protection.</p><p>“A Windstrike could cut through some of this fog. But we don’t know where the other soldiers are.” Abigail had a valid point, on both accounts.</p><p>Tally looked around them, then pointed to their left. “Through there. We won’t hit any of our own, but we should manage to take out one or two Camarilla.”</p><p>The Bellweather unit stood shoulder to shoulder, breathing in as one before letting out a Windstrike akin to a roar. It sliced through the fog, and they could see two bodies flying back. The bastardized version of their Work dimmed, two less voices adding to the storm.</p><p>A blood curdling scream ripped out behind them, and they heard the distinct noise of wood shifting and toppling over. Raelle’s head whipped around, and she didn’t hesitate before sprinting toward the bonfire. A witch had been thrown into it.</p><p>With no regard for her own safety, she grabbed the soldier, wrenching her out of the flames. Raelle’s hands burned, but her hands were nothing compared to someone’s life. She got her fellow witch down to the ground, patting out the flames quick as she could while the young soldier rolled in the grass.</p><p>As soon as the flames were gone, Raelle grabbed the soldier’s hand, ignoring the stinging pain in her own. “<em>When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. Through the rivers, they will not flood you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned</em>.”</p><p>She had only just gotten the last word out when she was blindsided by a strike to her jaw. It knocked her over, and the man that hit her was suddenly on top of her. “How dare those words leave your filthy mouth!” he raged, practically foaming at the mouth. “How dare you use the work of the Lord for your wickedness! You will burn-“</p><p>Whatever he’d been spewing out came to a sudden halt, as a foot connected with the side of his head so loud that Raelle could hear a crunching sound. Abigail reached down and grabbed her hand, yanking Raelle to her feet.</p><p>“Thanks,” Raelle said, winded. “We’ve got to stop the ones using our Work. We’ll never be able to see where they’re coming from otherwise.”</p><p>“I can help with that,” Scylla offered as she and Tally jogged over. “If Tally can get me close enough to a couple of them, I can turn them on their buddies.”</p><p>“Do it,” Abigail nodded. “Rae and I will do what we can here.”</p><p>“No witchbombing,” Scylla told them, giving them both a pointed look. There would be no hiding it out here in the open, in the middle of Fort Salem. Alder would know she had a human weapon at her disposal and none of them would be able to protect Raelle from the truth. “And no dying.”</p><p>The two pairs split up, Tally leading Scylla off into the fog, while Abigail and Raelle stayed together. They could hear the sounds of fighting nearby, and exchanged a glance before heading straight into whatever danger lay ahead of them.</p><p>The surprise assault on Fort Salem was no quick fought battle. The Camarilla had separated into groups when they breached the base’s defenses, leaving dead soldiers in their wake. They had homemade explosive devices, using them without regard to whether or not their own were caught in the blasts. With so many witches without their weapons, and unprepared, the Camarilla had the element of surprise and were better equipped.</p><p>When the siren had sounded, it rallied the higher-ranking officers that were on base, but not participating in the Samhain festivities. No storms could be sung, as their soldiers were scattered so thoroughly throughout the fighting. But, with them, they brought their scourges and fury at the audacity the Camarilla had to attack them here.</p><p>Tally and Scylla’s plan worked, and as Camarilla agents were turned on one another, the fog began to dissipate. In turn, that gave Raelle and Abigail an opening to go after their attackers as they could see them. More than one witch had to be pulled from the flames, Raelle quick to their sides to heal them while Abigail stood guard. Even working together while they were apart, the unit - along with Scylla - was extremely efficient at getting their goals met.</p><p>When Alder and the Biddies came from the officer’s barracks, a rainstorm was summoned to put out the fires and dampen what was left of the lingering fog. It was with that final clearing of the air that the witches were really able to push back their attackers. The damage had been done, though – so many witches had been injured.</p><p>As soon as Raelle could take appropriate stock of the situation, she gave up the fight. There were plenty of others to run off the Camarilla. Too many soldiers were injured and in need of Fixing, they needed her help. She didn’t even tell Abigail what she was doing, before jogging the distance between herself and the nearest downed soldier.</p><p>Her hands still stung as she laid them on the woman. She didn’t need to look to know that her hands were already blistering, she could feel it. Raelle decided her own injuries could wait, she knew that she would be fine. The others, though, they couldn’t wait.</p><p>After the first, Raelle moved on to another, and another, and another. She went to everyone she could see that was bleeding or burned or both. Even as the medical officers came out to help, none of them seemed to work as fast as she could.</p><p>Not a single soldier complained about her “Christo-pagan bullshit” when it was what took away their pain.</p><p>As she finished with someone else, she felt a hand on her shoulder, preventing her from moving on. “Rae, that’s enough,” Scylla told her. “You’re hurt.”</p><p>Raelle looked down at her hands, covered in blood that wasn’t her own. Beneath that crimson sheen, she could just make out the painful blisters from her own burns. She was soaked from the rain; her sleeves and pant legs were caked in mud and blood. She was a mess. But she could keep going. “I can do this, Scyl,” she replied. “There are still others that need Fixing.”</p><p>“Let Colonel Wick and the others take care of them,” Tally spoke up.</p><p>“You’ve done a lot and haven’t taken on any of injuries like <em>they</em> know you do with your Work,” Abigail pointed out. “Alder is watching you. If you’d taken the injuries, you should have been incapacitated by now.”</p><p>“But I can still help them,” Raelle argued.</p><p>Scylla came around and knelt in front of her, where the witch she had just healed had been moments before. The necro reached up, acting like she was moving some hair out of Raelle’s face, when she was actually smearing a bit of blood in a wider arc across Raelle’s temple. Making it look like an injury of Raelle's own, rather than just splatter – trying to fool those that were watching. “I know you can, but you have to let us protect you,” she gently soothed. “Remember, no witchbombing, no dying, no being turned into a weapon.”</p><p>Tally and Abigail moved closer to kneel on either side of her. “The whole medical staff is out here now, Rae,” Abigail assured her.</p><p>Raelle wanted to argue more, but ultimately, she knew the others were right. And if Alder was watching her… if she did anything else, it would only look more suspicious. “Fine,” she relented.</p><p>“Sit back,” Scylla instructed, hands gently guiding Raelle back to first sit on the ground, then lean toward Tally. “I’ll get someone over here to help you.”</p><p>“I don’t need-“ Raelle’s disagreement died as Scylla got up and walked away from them. She heaved out a sigh and could do nothing more than wait.</p><p>Thankfully, Scylla wasn’t gone long. However, she brought back someone that Raelle was not happy to see.</p><p>“Scyl, no,” Raelle immediately protested as her mother knelt in front of her.</p><p>“Too late,” Scylla informed her. “It’s best this way.”</p><p>Just in case any memories leaked through the Link while she was being Fixed. Surely, they could trust Willa to keep a secret that could get Raelle used up until there was nothing left – or killed. She was always going on about wanting to protect Raelle, this was her chance to prove it.</p><p>Willa held out her hands, palms up. “Let me help you, Raelle.”</p><p>Raelle pursed her lips, looking up to meet Scylla’s eyes. The necro gave her an encouraging nod. Huffing out another unhappy grunt, she lifted her hands and placed them in her mother’s.</p><p>“It’s not as good as what you do, but it will be enough,” Willa assured her. “<em>Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and ye shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever</em>.”</p><p>As Willa spoke, Raelle felt a long-forgotten warmth spread through her. She hadn’t felt it since… long before her mom’s last deployment. Long before she thought her mom was dead. It was an unwelcome feeling of comfort, a reminder of the woman she’d known as her mother. The woman that fixed her bumps and scrapes with a loving hand and whispered words.</p><p>It reminded her of the home she once knew.</p><p>When her mom was done, Raelle jerked her hands out of Willa’s, severing their connection without a second’s notice. She pushed off of Tally, getting unsteadily to her feet. Though her mom had Fixed her physical wounds, she’d prodded at an emotional wound that hadn’t healed, that had only scabbed over and threatened to break wide open again.</p><p>Wordlessly, she reached for Scylla’s hand and walked off into the night with her girlfriend. She didn’t tell Tally and Abigail where she was going, they would know. And her mom, well, her mom had no right to know.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter took an extreme amount of steam power to write, hence the longer than usual wait for an update. I have absolutely no idea how or if our favorite witches would celebrate Samhain, but I hope you enjoy the liberty I took in adapting some real life practices into something that I thought meshed well into the Motherland world.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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